NORWICH – Organizers of the Bandera Family Free Christmas Dinner are calling their first offering in Norwich a success thanks to the large number of volunteers who showed up to make it possible.

Volunteers at the first Bandera Family Free Christmas Dinner in Norwich prepared 1,000 meals for Christmas Day, 730 of which were served via delivery or at the Norwich American Legion Post 189. The remaining 270 meals were donated to nursing homes in the area.

"The people attending the dinner were so grateful, I think especially the people who we delivered to who would have been unable to, not only have a warm holiday meal, but also unable to get to the legion for the free one we were serving," said Bandera Family Free Christmas Dinner Norwich Volunteer Coordinator Brianna Curley. "I heard several times that they wouldn't have known what to do if we didn't have this dinner and how thankful they were, so we'll definitely keep it going."

As for the number of volunteers who helped make it possible, Curley said she wouldn't know where to begin guessing; over 100 people signed up to volunteer and several others showed up over the weekend before Christmas to do whatever they could to help.