“Hundreds of area residents received Christmas dinner on Saturday, courtesy Canton Outside Canton.

The newly formed organization distributed 1,000 turkeys and 1,000 boxes with food to area residents Saturday afternoon from the parking lot of St. Paul AME Church,.at 1800 Tuscarawas St. E.

Ray Ellis, who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, came up with the idea and recruited Hubbard, businessman Warren Pyles, McKinley High athletics director Antonio Hall, Ron Stokes and others to help.

Stokes worked with the Giant Eagle grocery chain to secure the turkeys and food boxes. A former Ohio State basketball guard and current expert analyst for basketball games, Stokes has worked with Giant Eagle through the years and that connection helped bring the food to Canton.”