Six hundred forty-seven families had a Christmas Day dinner Thursday, thanks to the Ironton City Mission.

Mission director, the Rev. Jim Cremeans said workers prepared 650 baskets. Most of the food had been picked up by Tuesday afternoon, along with boxes of toys for 1,000 children.

"We had four or five (food boxes) left Wednesday morning," Cremeans said. "Most were picked up Tuesday."

The Cremeans family spent Christmas Day together.

"It was the first day I've had off since the middle of November," Cremeans said.

He and his wife have spent nearly every day at the mission, sorting through boxes of donated toys filling wish lists for area needy children, and organizing those food boxes.

His children, their spouses and even grandchildren have all sacrificed their free time after work and on weekends to the work at the mission.

Cremeans will tell you it was time well spent.

"It is a blessing to help others," Cremeans said. "It is a blessing helping those in need. It's what we're supposed to do. Otherwise we wouldn't do it."