Real estate agents serve dinner as part of their Christmas tradition

For more than 30 years, longtime Steamboat Springs resident Ray Wright has spent Christmas Day in the kitchen, preparing food for the annual community Christmas dinner and hoping to spread some holiday cheer. Masu.

“It started 36 years ago when one of our real estate agents invited some homeless people and elevator operators to dinner,” Wright said. “She said, 'Okay, let's have a dinner for the whole community,' and it just grew from there. We now have hundreds of volunteers. Up to 35 turkeys, 20 I think we have ham and a few hundred pounds of mashed potatoes.”

This year, the Realtors Community Christmas Dinner will be held on Christmas Day from 1-5 p.m. Dinner is free, so everyone is welcome to attend.

“I think it's a good way to bring the community together, similar to Thanksgiving dinner,” said Elizabeth Salzgeber of the Board of Realtors. “I think it’s important for our Realtor members to do things like this because they are also members of the community and this is just one of the many ways they enjoy giving back.”

Salzgeber said most of the food comes from Realtor Board members, who provide customers with links to sign up, and some community members bring food.

She said 90 percent of the volunteers are also real estate agency executives, but community members will also take turns at the dinner.

Regulars include Wright, who always manages the kitchen, and Derek Hodson, who manages the floors. Every Christmas Day, Steamboat He also has a long list of volunteers who return to the community to give back.

“A lot of our guests come because most restaurants are closed and they've been skiing all day and don't want to put in the effort to cook,” Wright said. “What's fun is seeing the elderly and Latino community, but around 4 o'clock, the lift drivers and ski instructors show up hungry. Some people don't know. I'm fluent in Spanish, so I like to gather around Spanish-speaking tables and talk to them and make them feel welcome.”

Wright said the real estate agent cooks most of the turkeys and hams before dinner and brings them in the morning. This year, he said he plans to have three turkeys in addition to the ones brought by real estate agents.

“One of the things I love about Steamboat is that the community really comes together,” Wright said. “The United Way has a Thanksgiving dinner, the Board of Realtors has a Christmas dinner, we started a utility assistance program three years ago, Lift Up (Routt County) has some funds, Those who can afford to cut off their utility bills will be given a month's grace period.It's cool, and I've been to many other ski resorts, but none are as considerate and generous as Steamboat. I don’t think there is anything else like it.”