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For a few years, a team of charitable individuals from Winchester have come together at Christmas time to deliver to the Clark County Detention Center.

While some elements might have changed, their efforts continued in 2023.

On Dec. 23rd, thanks to Pizza Hut and various thoughtful volunteers, 230 to 240 personal pan pizzas and 20-ounce drinks were delivered for both the inmates and staff at the Clark County Detention Center.

“This is the fourth year that I’ve done it,” said Dale Hatton, who helped organize the event. “The community just came together…it went really well.”

Over the previous years, the event has involved collaboration with other franchises.

For 2023, with the Pizza Hut location at 8 Carol Road featuring new management and other changes, Hatton thought providing them with support and opportunity would be worthwhile.

Thus, he quickly reached out to Jessica Shout, who is the new manager of the pizzeria.

“She joined in and cooked a lot of the pizza herself with employees,” he said.

The process started at approximately 1:00 p.m., with all pizzas delivered by 2:30 in the afternoon.

Yet, that’s not all.

Thanks largely to the efforts of resident Shawana Osborne, individuals were provided with a drink to accompany their meal.

While Clark County Detention Center Jailer Frank Doyle also played a significant role, the event featured a slew of volunteers such as City Commissioner Hannah Toole, Steven Slone of the Redeeming Grace Church of God Outreach Ministry, Chris Clem of BrokenChains International Ministries, Ronald Crawford, MacKenzie Strong and more.

Another key donor was Precision Services, owned and operated by handyman Quentin Stevenson.

Because each personal pan pizza cost only $5, the event garnered much local support.

“We came up with enough money…I think about $1200 to do it,” Hatton said. “With them being $5 a piece, [others knew] if you donate $5, you help an inmate.”

For Hatton, the reaction from the inmates and others has been a recurring reason for finding the desire and motivation to continue the charitable effort each year.

“I’ve got a lot of feedback from family members that have people in [Clark County Detention Center] and tell me how much they appreciate it,” he said. “During a dark time, I just want to kind of be a bright spot and let them know that people still care about them.”

Hatton also added that the opportunity was rewarding in other ways.

“I know [for] a lot of them, that’s probably the only Christmas they got,” Hatton said. “I plan on doing it as long as I can.”