Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Salvation Army serves warm Christmas Eve meal

Salvation Army volunteers served over 350 plates of ham, potato au gratin, green beans and more at their annual Christmas Eve dinner. The church’s brass band serenaded the crowd with Christmas carols while guests dined on food prepared by a local family, the owners of Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle. When their Garland District restaurant burned down last year, the owners and family members used their free time to help those in need of a warm meal at the Salvation Army. Now they’re making the philanthropy a tradition. “It was wonderful. So much easier this time,” Milk Bottle owner, Kristine Ritchie said. “We knew how to work around the kitchen. Last year we didn’t know how to turn on anything.” The meal’s finale before the Salvation Army’s evening church service: a huckleberry themed cobbler with ice cream ala mode.