Volunteers provided Christmas dinners for families in need at the Open Doors shelter in Norwalk.

Chef Terano Higgs said he had been directing volunteers and clients of the shelter in shifts all Christmas Day morning to prepare roast beef with gravy, roasted potatoes and homemade sweet potato pies.

More than 200 visitors attended the event.

Higgs says Open Doors serves hot meals to the community every day, but on Christmas it's important to make everyone feel at home.

"We make sure that we give them a meal here to make them think that they're home so they'll be comfortable," Higgs said. "A warm meal in the stomach is a wonderful thing."