OGUNQUIT, Maine — The holidays are all about spending time with your loved ones. On this Christmas Day, some people may not have any place to go or people to spend it with, which inspired Ogunquit Fire Chief Russell Osgood to start a tradition three years ago to bring people some company on Christmas.
"It’s open to anyone that needs a place to go and share some time with a family," Osgood said.
He was expecting more than 70 people at this year's third annual Christmas feast on the second floor of the fire station. It's a place people receive much more than food on their plates.
“I just hope they feel that magic of being with somebody on Christmas. I wouldn’t want to be home alone on Christmas, so it’s nice that we’re not alone. We’re together," Lynn Osgood, Chief Osgood's wife, said.
With the help of so many others, the Osgoods cooked up nine turkeys, 80 pounds of potatoes, 60 pounds of squash, and green beans to give people a warm meal to enjoy.
“We have this ability to give and we recognized it and we do it, so it is fulfilling. It’s almost a greedy feeling. I know we’re doing it for other people, but I think we get more out of it than the people receiving. It’s a great feeling," Lynn Osgood said.
David Slattery celebrates much more than Christmas on December 25th, and the fire station gives him a place to go to spend the special day.
“I have some meals at home but I prefer to go out on a holiday and my birthday," he said. “It means other people care about helping each other out."
People could take food to go or bring extra meals home with them for the coming days. A local organization also created care packages to bring home to give people an extra meal or two.
While it's still a relatively new tradition, Chief Osgood said it's one he only hopes will grow larger.
"We may have a point where we’ll have to have more than one seating. We’ll have to have more and more people. That would be great. I might need a bigger kitchen by then though," he said.