Amador County – Battalion 20 helped dozens of local families with Christmas dinner donations Friday at Plymouth City Hall Friday, helped by members of the Lodge Hill Committee and area businesses and politicians. Organizer and firefighter Brian Thornton, of Plymouth, and his wife Misty and daughters helped hand out turkeys to families, each coming with fixings, including fruit, vegetables and potatoes. Families were also treated to sandwiches, vegetable trays, deserts and refreshments. Amador High School students helped with food and refreshments, with Lodge Hill Committee members, including Barbara Nichols, Maria Nunez Simon, and Raymond Estey. Youngsters stood in line to sit on Santa’s lap, and each was given a gift-wrapped, age-appropriate present. Some opened their toys and played on the big tables filling the Plymouth City Council chambers, which was decorated for Christmas last week by City Clerk Gloria Stoddard and staff. Thornton said the turkey dinners and toys for children were given to invited members of the community, because they could not openly advertise the program, due to the limited number of meals they had. Local developers and politicians contributed, including Plymouth Rock LLC and local partner, Stephanie McNair of Cottage Noll. Simon told the Plymouth City Council earlier this month that Tony Zeider of Plymouth Rock was going to cover any turkey costs not covered by donations. She said Pastor Cruz Fragoza of Plymouth Pentecostal Church of God gave $100, and City Finance Director Jeff Gardner handed Simon some cash, saying that more would follow. Thornton said the Ione Band of Miwok Indians also donated, as did Bob Reeder of Reeder Sutherland, of the Zinfandel and Shenandoah Ridge development projects in and around Plymouth. District 5 Supervisor Brian Oneto contributed $200 from his district discretionary fund. Oneto attended Friday night and sat eating with a volunteer of Battalion 20, a branch of the Amador Fire Protection District, with stations in Fiddletown and Plymouth. Oneto said he arrived late because he was playing doctor for one of his cows, sick with pneumonia. As the stack of frozen turkeys near the back of City Hall grew lower, the uniformed volunteer firemen in attendance scrambled toward their trucks when a “tone out” – or call to duty – was sounded on the dispatch radio, leaving the Lodge Hill Committee to finish up the dinner. Firefighters and donors distributed about 70 full dinner packages. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.