City of East Providence hosts 8th annual Christmas community dinner

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The City of East Providence held its eighth annual Christmas community dinner Monday afternoon, giving residents a warm meal and a place to gather for the holiday.

The Christmas community dinner didn’t start as a massive event for the people of East Providence, but in the last few years its grown into one of the biggest community meals in the state.

“We just started eight years ago, me and a couple of friends, and it just started off as feeding the homeless and it’s just grown since. Now we feed anybody — we don’t want you to be alone so come and join us and we’re one big family.” said Stephen Costa, the Chairman of Together For EP.

The community dinner began back in 2015 and saw a major change in 2019, expanding from 50 people to hundreds.

But even as they’ve grown, Costa says they hold onto the same core idea: Everyone who comes in for a meal is family.

“We’re with friends, and my partner and I, we don’t have parents anymore, we’ve lost that, so these friends are our family. And now we have a place to go like we did all the time when we had family. So this is our family now,” said Bob Brennan, a first-time attendee.

The event covers a lot more than just a warm meal too. The Center has bags of toiletries, toys for kids, clothing, and even free haircuts.

After the past few weeks in East Providence with the Washington Bridge closure and flooding, community members feel the year is ending on a high note.

“We’ve had a challenging couple of weeks, but this right here makes it all worth it. We are a very resilient community and this is all community centered,” says East Providence’s Mayor Bob DaSilva.

“So, it’s definitely a good way to end the season,” DaSilva continued

Monday’s event ran from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and saw 300 residents attend throughout the day.

Now, they’re prepping for next year.

“The second it ends, we actually already started,” Costa concluded.