Buchanan Dam couple invites community to Christmas dinner, offers meal delivery
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BUCHANAN DAM — About a decade ago, Joel Deupree and his wife, Rose, found themselves hosting a Christmas Day dinner — not an uncommon event considering the holiday.
However, the Deuprees weren’t holding a family dinner, they opened the meal up to the entire Buchanan Dam community and anybody else who made the drive to the Buchanan Dam Community Center.
“There’s no family really close to us, and we thought this was something we could do for the entire community,” Joel Deupree said. “When it boils down to it, I really don’t know why we do it other than it’s something we do.”
And they’ll do it again Dec. 25 from noon to 2 p.m. The free dinner comes with all the things one would expect for the holidays including turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and biscuits.
“We don’t ask anybody to bring anything, but a lot of people show up with desserts,” he said.
The community dinner wasn’t the Deuprees’ idea. Another couple held it for about three years before them, but when that family moved, the Deuprees didn’t want to see the tradition end. For one thing, the couple noticed there are a lot of people living in the Buchanan Dam area who don’t have family nearby.
So instead of staying home by themselves, the Deuprees hope they’ll come out to the Buchanan Dam Community Center.
“Last year, we had about 210 people,” Joel Deupree said. “We usually have 15 to 20 volunteers who help out. The entire event is self-sustaining through donations.”
The volunteers also deliver meals to local shut-ins and the elderly.
The Buchanan Dam Community Center is located on Texas 261 about two miles north of Texas 29. Call Joel Deupree at (512) 755-5091 for more information or for free local deliveries.
“The more people who know, the more people who will attend,” he said. “It’s just a great time for the community to enjoy time together.”
daniel@thepicayune.com