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There were also plenty of arts and crafts activities. And then the kids getting to sit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and share what they hoped to get for Christmas lit up the room.
For the members in the room – those on the job every day – this was the gift they had hoped for.
“Our families are the only ones that understand the dif- ficulties ... of what we do on a daily basis,” Lodge 7 Trustee Joseph Gentile, Jr. confirms. He adds that the lunch also is a reminder that there are still those in the community who recognize what officers mean to the city.
The holiday lunch, which the auxiliary started 25 years ago, has continued to grow over the years, with more fam- ilies attending annually. About 300 families attended last year, making it the organization’s largest lunch gathering.
The approximately 75 families at this year’s Lunch reveled in the toy giveaways, and children also had the chance to win $500 educational scholarships. d
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