Good will to all

 Some Odessa residents may have found themselves down on their luck this Christmas, but at least none had to go hungry.

About 65 people arrived Thursday during the lunch hour in the gym at the Salvation Army of Odessa's headquarters in search of a hot holiday meal.  About 30 volunteers stood waiting  to serve eight smoked turkeys, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and just about anything else one would find on the average Christmas menu.

And that, the area's Salvation Army director said, most assuredly included pumpkin pie.

"You've got to have pie on Christmas," Maj. Carl Hughes said.

The event's volunteers served the guests, too. After asking diners to have a seat at a table, volunteers brought the food and beverage to them, which Hughes said was to make the guests feel as if they were at "a fancy restaurant."

"It's just to make them feel more special," he said. "They will get waited on because a lot of these folks don't ever get the opportunity to go out to eat."

And judging from Brad McMahon's opinion, all compliments certainly went to the chefs.

"The ham was really good," the unemployed oil field worker said after his meal. "All of it was good, but the ham had great flavor."