`nutcracker' Enlivens The Holiday

Alex Wrobleski 
Dec. 17, 1994 
Alex A. Wrobleski, 73, Of North Gates Avenue, Kingston, Died Saturday In 
Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, Kingston.

By JERRY LYNOTT; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Wednesday, December 21, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE -- Ruth and Fred Kohl can stand the heat. They've been in the
kitchen for the past 16 years at the First Presbyterian Church preparing free
meals for annual Christmas dinners. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Kingston couple will once again rise early, start their ovens and get
ready to serve approximately 800 people at the church on South Franklin Street
in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "This is our Christmas gift," Ruth said, doing some final prep work last
week. "It makes Christmas mean more to us than before," her husband added.
"It's a way of giving back. We've been really blessed." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And if those reasons aren't good enough, Ruth offered one more, "I guess we
just like to be around a big family at Christmas." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She and her husband will arrive at the church kitchen around 6:30 a.m. to
get things going. Other volunteers will follow and pitch in. Some will bring
cooked turkeys and trimmings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By 10 a.m., part of the group's mission will be done. Dinners for
Meals-on-Wheels will be packaged, loaded into vehicles, and then delivered to
the doors of the homebound. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Once that's out of the way, the Kohls and their crew concentrate on the
sit-down dinners that will begin at noon inside the church auditorium. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Anyone is welcome, but reservations are requested so volunteers can
estimate how many will attend. To make reservations, call 824-2478. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Each year, the work load gets a little heavier, the crowd a little larger.
But the Kohls have had the help of their five children, who for years have
spent their Christmases helping serve the turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed
potatoes and gravy, stuffing, mixed vegetables and pies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When the kids were little, we told them what we'd like to do and they
said, `OK,' " Ruth recalled. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sons, Fred Jr., Chris and Timothy, along with daughters, Mary and Carolyn,
pitched in through the years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Timothy works as a chef. But it's uncertain whether he was influenced by
the kitchen duty. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We don't let him cook here," Fred said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Kohls, both retired, may want to rely on him when they decide to bow
out. Fred, a former bricklayer, is 66. His wife, a former nurse, is 63. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Kohls don't have to hurry home to cook their own dinner. They celebrate
with their family the night before. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ruth remembered how she and her husband got involved in all of this. The
couple, both Roman Catholics, were at a prayer-group meeting at King's College
years ago when someone cooked up the idea of a dinner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Kohls came to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre, which
pitches in to prepare the dinner, for a follow-up meeting. They were sitting
with others around a table at the church planning the first dinner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He nudged me and said `Volunteer to be in the kitchen,' " Ruth said of
Fred. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We had no idea what we were getting into," added her husband. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They know the drill by now. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/FRED ADAMS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fred and Ruth Kohl have been volunteering to help cook hundreds of free
Christmas dinners for the needy the past 16 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cooking For Needy Is Couple's Tradition Ruth And Fred Kohl Have Spent The Past 16 Christmases Serving Others