MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Christmas can be one of the loneliest days of the year for those without friends and family.

For some elderly people in the metro, that’s a reality. But each year, the Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly gives such people a chance to enjoy Christmas with company.

And the elderly arrive by the bus load to Minneapolis’ Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, where nearly 100 seniors were served a seven-course Christmas meal Tuesday.

“I don’t have any family in the area,” one woman at the lunch said. “So I know what that feels like to be alone.”

For those who can’t attend the event, the food goes to them. Volunteers deliver about 50 meals to the program’s shut-in elders, organizers said.

The Little Brothers Christmas meal is one of several events hosted throughout the year to make sure the oldest among us have a place to go, and people to talk to.

Food for the lunch is provided by the Prom Center. Little Brothers plans to expand the annual Christmas event to double its current size.