BRATTLEBORO — Hungry for a holiday from cooking breakfast this Christmas?
Jadi Flynn and Megan Walker would be happy to serve you.
Flynn and Walker are the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Charlie Slate, who started Brattleboro's free annual Christmas Breakfast, an event that his family and friends are set to continue for hundreds of diners.
Slate, who died in 2008, began the tradition in 1982 upon noticing most restaurants closed for the holiday.
This year, volunteers will arrive before dawn at American Legion Post 5 at 32 Linden St.
There, they will prepare 130 pounds of pancake mix, 240 pounds of eggs, 1,500 servings of hash browns, 3,000 sausage links, and 14 pounds of coffee.
“I barely sleep the night before thinking about feeding all those people,” Flynn said.
“We stress over the littlest things,” Walker added.
Even so, the two hope to beat 2016's record of 826 meals by serving 1,000 this year.
“When you're doing this,” Flynn says, “you have to have a goal.”
“And it's nice to see the wide variety of people,” Walker adds, “who come from all walks of life.”
'Pay it forward'
All can enjoy the meal in person on Tuesday, Dec. 25 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Legion. Brattleboro residents who are homebound or working the holiday can request an in-town Christmas delivery by calling or texting 802-258-0481 by Dec. 23.
People can bring homemade or store-bought cookies to the Legion anytime during the week leading up to the event.
The event is supported by donations from diners and contributions from Adam's Seafood, Country Kitchen Bakery, Dunkin' Donuts, Farrell Distributing, Reinhart Foodservice, a number of local maple sugarhouses, and the four generations of Slate's family who continue the community tradition.
“Some people think it's only for people who need a free breakfast,” Flynn said. “We're hoping if anyone knows someone who'd want to come, please let them know.”
“It's just such a wonderful feeling to be able to do this and to be able to pay it forward,” she said.