Michael Bushnell
Northeast News

Scott Lamaster, founder and CEO of Taking it to the Streets, and an army of roughly 30 volunteer elves prepared close to 850 Christmas dinners for police and fire first responders across the metropolitan area.

Police chaplains delivered food to the various patrol zones and fire personnel cycled through and delivered food back to their respective stations.

In a specially outfitted cooking trailer parked behind police headquarters on Christmas Day, volunteers grilled steaks while another group assembled a full course meal that included baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and a homemade dessert.

According to Battalion Chief Steven Seals, who works out of Station 36 at 99th and Holmes, the meals are a great help for on-duty personnel over the holiday.

“[Scott] is a great inspiration for us, especially on a day like Christmas when we’re away from our families, he’s making sure we’ve got a good meal,” Seals said.

Taking it to the Streets is an area nonprofit organization that aids first responders who may be on the scene of an event for an extended period of time.
The organization also aids the city’s homeless population in the preparation and delivery of meals to those living off the grid.

This is the fifth year for the program, according to Lamaster, who had five cooking crews active on Christmas Day that prepared over 1,400 meals for area first responders on duty over the holiday.