Local organizations and businesses are offering free holiday meals in an effort to bring people together.
Experts say it is not uncommon for people to suffer from holiday blues. A strained relationship with family, for example, can make this time of year lonely. The holidays can be difficult for people who are grieving or don't have anyone nearby with whom to celebrate.
"Loneliness and isolation can feel exacerbated during the holiday season when you look around, and it seems like everyone's getting together and you don't have plans, or you're not looking forward to your plans," said Shilagh Mirgain, a psychologist at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison.
The holidays are expensive, and financial woes can cause major stress. Anxiety about holiday anything can fuel depression and worsen existing mental health concerns.
"A lot of people at certain years can find the holidays to be more challenging than they have experienced in past years," Mirgain said. "It's important to recognize the common humanity that others, too, are struggling.
"You're not alone."
A local restaurant group, a nonprofit organization and a couple of ministries are all providing opportunities to get together and escape stress and loneliness this week.
GOOD GRAVY GROUP
Good Gravy Group, a Bentonville food and beverage company, is hosting a Christmas Eve brunch today at two of its restaurants: Tusk and Trotter at 106 W. Elm St. in Rogers and Brothers Meethouse at 405 S.E. Fifth St. in Bentonville.
Each location will have a full turkey dinner today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Everybody and anybody is welcome to join," said Charlee Arnett, general manager at Tusk and Trotter in Rogers.
Arnett said the culture at Tusk and Trotter and the Good Gravy Group is centered on supporting the community and fostering a philosophy of togetherness.
Both Tusk and Trotter and Brothers Meethouse are farm-to-table restaurants, which demonstrates commitment to the community year-round, she said.
"The Christmas brunch is an opportunity for people to come, not do anything and just relax," she said, "and it's an opportunity for people without family or friends to come and be with a welcoming community for Christmas."
FOR THE LOVE NWA
For The Love NWA is a nonprofit organization with a food truck, providing free meals to communities around Northwest Arkansas throughout the week.
The nonprofit has what are called Neighbor Nights in Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
Christmas Eve this year falls on a Neighbor Night in Rogers, which means For The Love NWA will be at 115 N. Dixieland Road on Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The location in Rogers is the only site that is indoors, said Meredith Chapuis, founder of For The Love NWA, so the Christmas Eve meal will be a special sit-down meal of tamales, rice, beans and churros inside the Rogers Dream Center.
Chapuis said the organization always serves meals on holidays and is excited Neighbor Night is on Christmas Eve, because a lot of the neighbors For The Love NWA serves will not have plans.
The meal will be an opportunity for people to come hang out and be fed for free in community, she added.
MINISTRY MEALS
Blind Faith Outdoors ministry is hosting a free breakfast on Christmas morning from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall at 120 S. Neal St. in Prairie Grove.
Beau Gage, founder of the ministry, said it has been doing the Christmas breakfast for four years. He said the original intention behind the free meal on Christmas Day was to bring people together.
"We wanted to do something for those who might not have people around on Christmas morning," but it has become an event for anyone who simply wants to be in community, he said.
There were around 150 people who attended last year, and the mayor even came to help, he said.
Families came and brought their whole extended families so they did not have to cook and could meet people in their community, he said.
Some older community members who would have been home alone came to be around people, while others came just to have something to do, he added.
Julia Preston, a volunteer at the Christmas Day meal last year, said a majority of the people she spoke to during the breakfast were there because they were lonely and did not have anyone else to be with.
She said she had been in a similar position in her past and wanted to give back for Christmas.
This year, the ministry will serve bacon, eggs, sausage and biscuits and gravy with juice, milk and hot coffee to drink, Gage said.
The First Baptist Church at 626 W. Olive St. in Rogers has community meals most Fridays starting at 11 a.m. Though not specifically dubbed a Christmas meal, the meal on the Friday after Christmas will likely be a holiday meal for many, a spokesperson for the church said.
The meals are prepared and served by church members and are meant to provide meals to populations struggling with hunger and hardship, according to the church's website.