During a socially distant Christmas, shelters work to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness
By Felicia Gans Globe Staff,Updated December 25, 2020, 3:55 p.m.
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Two men, who identified themselves as Manuel and Nick, ate a Christmas meal, separated by plexiglass dividers, at the St. Francis House in Boston on Friday.Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
On a normal Christmas Day, guests at St. Francis House on Boylston Street would gather tightly around decorated cafeteria tables and be served a Christmas feast restaurant-style by dozens of volunteers.
The tables would be decorated with flowers and tablecloths. Some people would hug one another warmly as they sat down to eat. And the volunteers would smile widely at the guests they served â unmasked, of course.