Salina chef Bill Fekas will be hard at work Christmas Eve, putting the final touches on a Christmas dinner for several thousand of his closest family and friends. For the 42nd year in a row, Fekas is preparing a free community-wide Christmas dinner.

Fekas is planning to prepare and serve a free dinner to as many as 5,000 people. With the help of a small army of volunteers, he has been preparing a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for over four decades. The gathering which has grown from serving about 30 people the first year to now over 4,000 each year.

Fekas had a dream back in the early 1980s – to prepare and serve a free dinner for anyone who was alone on Christmas Day. Fekas tells KSAL News that Salina businessman Dean Evans told him to get the ball rolling and he would pay the bill, “Dean said go ahead and then I said, now what did I get into?”

Fekas will prepare 200 turkeys for the meal. Among other things, he is also purchasing 1,000 pounds of potatoes and 800 loaves of bread to make stuffing with.

The free meal is planned for Christmas Day at 11 a.m. and lasts until 2 p.m. at the Salina 4-H Building.

Again this year it will be a carry-out only event. Families can pick up their Christmas meal, which will include turkey and all the trimming, to then take it home and enjoy. There will be a limit of four meals per family.

Free delivery options are offered for people who live in Salina. Call on the day of the dinner, beginning at 6AM, either phone number 785-826-6531 or 785-826-6532 to schedule.

The free meal is open to anyone and everyone in the community. Though the meal is free to those attend, it is not free for Fekas. He has plenty volunteers, he could use some monetary donations.

Any sort of a donation, large or small, would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be dropped off at the event, or sent to:

Fekas Family Christmas Fund
P.O. Box 2173
Salina, KS
67402-2173