There was plenty of Christmas spirit to go around at Kelowna's Gospel Mission Saturday morning.

For the past 40 years, the organization has hosted an annual free Christmas dinner for those in the community who may not be able to afford one on their own.

On Saturday, volunteers prepared about 700 meals, complete with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy dressing and vegetables, with pie and whipped cream to cap it off.

“For our guests, a lot of them don't have a home to go to so this creates a family atmosphere and a time of celebration for Christmas,” said Randy Benson, executive director of the Gospel Mission.

“For our volunteers and the community at large, it's a time to give back and really celebrate the Christmas spirit together, so it's a very important thing for us.”

Benson says they see many of their regular clients at the dinner, in addition to other families who may not be able to afford a traditional dinner on their own.

“it's very gratifying to be able to provide that to our community,” Benson said. “When people leave we get a lot of 'merry Christmases,' a lot of 'thank yous.' People are very appreciative of what happens here.”

Among Saturday's volunteers dishing out food were Mayor Colin Basran, MP Dan Albas and former MP Ron Cannan, MLA Norm Letnick and city councillors Ryan Donn and Loyal Woolridge.

The meals were served from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. The Gospel Mission also hosts dinners during Thanksgiving and Easter.