If you read my posts regularly, you know of my concern that many Americans believe government has all the answers and should take responsibility for people’s lives, which delights the bureaucrats and policy-makers whose livelihoods depend on an ever expanding public sector and an ever dependent populace. I am particularly concerned about hows this government-first mindset impacts the poor and vulnerable, to whom we as individuals have a moral obligation to help. And that’s why I post stories about individuals who are taking action on their own, setting an example to help their neighbors – no government program required. Here’s one of those stories, featuring Hillsborough residents Laurie and Kevin Bragg and Kelly Akins.

The dinner is the 13th annual dinner that the Braggs, who run a charity called Feeding the People Ministries, have organized. Their first dinner was held at Kelsey’s Café, when it was located on Churton Street in downtown Hillsborough. People squeezed into the small restaurant for the free dinner, and volunteers took plates of food to the homebound.

Laurie Bragg, who has retired from being a clerk at the Orange County Courthouse, began recruiting everyone else who worked in the courthouse to help. From maintenance workers to clerks to deputies to attorneys to Superior Court judges, she recruited them all, and most all have either donated money, gifts, food or time to the Christmas dinners.

This year the volunteers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office will be running the toy department, she said.

No government program required. Just individuals stepping up to help.