GREEN BAY, Wis. — Christmas can be one of the loneliest holidays for some. One Green Bay church is looking to change that.

What You Need To Know

  • Four Winds Ministries prepared 750 Christmas Day meals

  • This year each meal bag contained a note of encouragement and a small gift

  • Denise McFarlin helped found this ministry 16 years ago to provide food and fellowship for the lonely on Christmas

Four Winds Ministries helped to spread some holiday cheer one meal at a time.

Denise McFarlin is the founder of the Four Winds Ministries. For sixteen years she’s organized the Christmas meal.

“We’re serving ham, baked potatoes, two kinds of vegetables, a dinner roll and a homemade dessert,” McFarlin said.

750 meals were packaged. McFarlin said this year it’s not just one person wanting a meal.

“We’re hearing from a lot more families this year than we did last year,” McFarlin said.

McFarlin said she wants to fill bellies and also warm hearts. She said Christmas can be lonely and why she helped start this ministry.

“Three women who would have otherwise spent the second half of Christmas day on their own. We decided that we could sit home and cry in our soup or we could get up and do something,” McFarlin said.

Each meal bag contains a small gift and a note of encouragement.

Judy Langenberg is a volunteer who wrote holiday messages.

“It says you are loved. I hope you have a nice Christmas. Just a word of encouragement for someone who needs that in their life,” Judy Lagenberg said.

Lagenberg said she knows how it feels to spend Christmas by herself. With these notes, she hopes to spread some holiday cheer.

“I’m alone today on Christmas Day. So, looking for something to get myself away from myself and go out and try to help others,” Lagenberg said.

With a card, a small gift, and a meal, McFarlin wanted to spread a holiday message.

“We’re hoping we’ll let people in our community know that they are not alone,” McFarlin said.