GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC26) -- With a bit of holiday magic, a little help might make a huge impact.
"It really just costs 25 dollars to feed a family of four," local Four Winds Ministries leader Denise McFarlin said.
McFarlin is slated to host its annual free Christmas meal on Friday. But with hundreds of meals to serve, she says the financial need for the event is still tremendous.
"This event is not yet funded," McFarlin said. "We have purchased food for 500 people and we're far short of our financial goal to pay for that."
Four Winds Ministries is asking for any financial help it can get to pay for the meals.
"I honestly can't tell you how many meals we will serve on Friday," McFarlin said. "I know that I will get phone calls right up until noon on Friday."
And Spring Lake Church in downtown Green Bay, where the event is held, says it isn't just about serving food.
"It's more so the hope," pastor Bill Van Kirk. "Like a place where people can come and experience the hope behind Christmas and the hope that there are people in the community that love them and care for them."
Because of the pandemic, the ministry is set to serve nearly twice as many people as last year at 500.
"We have many elderly and shut-ins that we are delivering to this year," McFarlin said. "But also we've heard from a large number of families who are struggling for a holiday meal this year."
Mcfarlin hopes her free takeout and to-go meals will bring hope during times of Covid-19.
"This event started 14 years ago with three women who were going to be spending half of their Christmas Day on their own," McFarlin said. "And we decided we could either sit home and cry in our soup or we could get up off the couch and do something that would be good for the community."
For those eating this year's dinner, there won't be the usual opportunity to eat together in person because of the pandemic. So there will be delivery and curbside options.
Last year, McFarlin served nearly 250 meals. If you'd like to help out, head to the Four Winds Ministries Wisconsin Facebook page or email denise.fourwindsofwi@gmail.com.
