Mississippi College Welcomes Wingard Home Residents for Christmas Dinner

Santa Claus brightens the Christmas season for a child from the Wingard Home at the December 2013 event at Mississippi College, as one of his elves joins the fun. The MC Art Department and the Kappa Pi art honorary sponsors the event each year on the Clinton campus.

Santa Claus will be there with gifts for children. And so will Mississippi College art students serving a wonderful Christmas dinner to homeless families.

It’s always a delightful time when dozens of children and adults from the Wingard Home in downtown Jackson come calling on the Clinton campus.

The Mississippi College Art Department is sponsoring the annual feast to brighten the Christmas holidays on December 11 for the 8^th year in a row. The event at Anderson Hall begins at 6 p.m.

Gore Galleries Director Randy Jolly returns to the scene at Anderson Hall to play Santa Claus once again. He began playing Santa in the early 1980s for a children’s clothing store in downtown Vicksburg and always embraces his role to welcome visitors from the Christian ministry in the capital city.

“For the last few years the Wingard event has helped kick off the season and remind me this is the time to give thanks and celebrate the greatest of gifts – Christ’s giving of his son for our salvation,” Jolly says. “The season isn’t just about getting but what we can give others in Christ’s name that creates the spirit and wealth of the season.”

The Mississippi College chapter of the Kappa Pi art fraternity uses this event as a service project each year. MC students believe it’s one of the most meaningful projects of their Christmas. “We get much more from this event than we could ever give,” Jolly says.

Campus Dining, MC’s food service provider, offers free meals to the families. Students come dressed up as they go to work as gracious servers, while holiday music sounds on the piano. Retired MC art professor Michael Hataway of Raymond created the event and is expected to make a return visit to greet guests.

The Wingard Home can house 60 people after recently adding a new section at the site at 1279 North West Street. It opened its doors to minister to the homeless and needy of Jackson beginning in 1990.

“It’s the highlight of our Christmas season,” says Charlotte Wingard, who oversees the residence with her husband, Roy. The couple moved to Jackson to create the residence after being homeless in Atlanta.

The Christian ministry in Jackson stays fully occupied during the cold winter months. The ministry doesn’t just feed and house its residents year-round. Many of the men and women are assisted to land jobs after staying at the Wingard Home.

Keeping the residence repaired, handling growing needs and paying utility bills is always a challenge for the Christian ministry year after year.

People seeking to volunteer at the MC event or need more information should contact Randy Jolly at 601-925-3880 or rjolly@mc.edu.