More than 600 children and adults from throughout the Lehigh Valley were treated to an early Christmas with all the trimmings this year, thanks to the efforts of Project Hope of Easton and Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic Church. In its 27th year, Project Hope provides everyone attending not only a traditional Christmas dinner, but also coats and other items of clothing, take-home bags of food, a wrapped gift and several books for each child, and of course, a visit from Santa Claus.

The project and the needs it serves have grown steadily through the years, according to Dr. Stanley Walker, whose wife Judy co-chairs the effort. This year, attendance was at an all-time high, with nearly 150 persons more served this year than last.

Project Hope began simply as a gesture of a woman who thought her children didn't appreciate the gifts they received for Christmas, so she made them give two of their presents to needy children in the community. From there it grew to providing home-cooked meals for 20-25 families, and finally into becoming a tax-exempt charity with a nine-member board of directors.

Today Project Hope operates with more than 75 volunteers who wrap, cook, serve, set up and clean.

Planning for the dinner begins six months in advance, but the Walkers collect toys all year long, hunting for after-Christmas bargains, and persuading merchants to donate or deeply discount their merchandise. Their basement resembles Santa's workshop, with dolls and trucks and board games stuffed into huge boxes. Every age- and gender-specific gift is wrapped on the Walker's dining room table by a handful of volunteer "elves."

The dinner and other festivities are held at Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic Church in Easton. The church's dining room can accommodate only about 320 persons, so there are always two seatings for dinner. This year, the hall was nearly filled to capacity at both meals. To meet the demand, Easton Hospital donated 220 pounds of fresh hams and turkey breast roasts for the dinner, and Shop Rite of Phillipsburg, N. J., sent along more than enough cookies and brownies for everyone.

Imagine being responsible for cooking a dinner with eight different hot dishes for hundreds of guests, and not knowing exactly how many diners to expect. Toni Sterner, a retired caterer, not only imagines it, she has been doing it successfully as volunteer chief chef for Project Hope for the past 15 years.

Adding to the festivities, Mike Metzger of Pen Argyl - a self-described sales rep by day and musician by night - played the guitar and led the singing of Christmas songs. The Easton HS mascot handed out candy canes, and the Phillipsburg HS "Pieces of Eight" choral group performed a selection of traditional holiday music before the second seating.

The highlight of the day for the children was the arrival of Santa Claus, a volunteer all the way from the North Pole, who received loud applause and hugs on his arrival. Every family received a keep-sake photo of their children with Santa.

At least half of the 605 attendees were children, according to Judy Walker, who explained that a real effort was made to contact the various organizations that provide community services. "We're very glad that we were able to reach out to more families this year."

In order to serve dinner and distribute all the gifts and clothing it needs, Project Hope depends on the financial generosity of dozens of individuals, organizations and businesses throughout the area. This year, children's books were provided by the Easton Police, and parents from Tracy ES in Palmer Township brought in a substantial amount of the 50 boxes and 25 bags of clothing collected this year. Joseph A. Banks, a clothier at the Promenade Shops, added to the total with its annual donation of good quality items.

Major donors from Bethlehem included Just Born Candies, Josh Early Candies, Notre Dame HS and PA Foot and Ankle Associates. Among gold-level donors were Charles McIntyre, owner of numerous McDonald's throughout the Lehigh Valley; Easton Hospital physicians Dr. Gary Costacurta and family, Dr. Minoj Mittal, and Dr. and Mrs. Shanker Mukherjee; plus Bill Rossi, the Morrison Healthcare Food Services and Secret Garden Gift Shoppe in Easton.