By Gabrielle Terrett

The Vicksburg Post
Keystone Ministries will be having a Christmas Day dinner Monday at noon for the less fortunate at the Keystone Soup Kitchen on the corner of Johnson and Washington streets.

As Christmas Day comes around, many head to the grocery stores to stock up on food for dinner. Others finish up shopping for Christmas gifts for loved ones while others travel to be with family on the special holiday.

However, not everyone has the same opportunity. Keystone Ministries has decided to incorporate the less fortunate into the holiday season with a Christmas dinner.

Keystone Ministries Inc. is a non-profit Christian-based organization that prides itself on guiding individuals in the community.

The organization’s theme comes from John 8:36, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

The group exhibits the theme yearly by offering a transitional residence for individuals given an alternative sentence, ex- offenders and parolees.

Keystone Ministries works to connect individuals with the community and heal the severed tie between the two while also working to provide long-lasting relationships, which will help individuals achieve goals.

The ministry also reaches out to a different category of the less fortunate in the community during the Christmas season.

As Christmas is a time to be surrounded by loved ones and those who care, Keystone will open its arms to all individuals on Christmas Day.

Anyone who needs a meal will be able to eat dinner with the Ministry on Monday.

Keystone partners with the River City Rescue Mission during the year and each takes on a holiday. The River City Rescue Mission prepares a Thanksgiving dinner for those who may not be able to afford it while Keystone Ministries provides a Christmas dinner.

“We serve meals to the community all year,” Earnie Hall program director of River City Rescue Mission said previously. “A lot of people come here because this is the only square meal that they can get. We get volunteers to help out sometimes but they’re always needed.”