Needy Receive Holiday Cheer by the Platefuls : Assistance: At the Rescue Mission in Oxnard, about 75 homeless people enjoy Christmas dinners. And more than 100 get free meals at Thousand Oaks High.

Winfried Lange was admittedly down on his luck Christmas Day--but he was far from down and out.

As he, his wife and two children ate platefuls of turkey, potatoes and stuffing in the Thousand Oaks High School cafeteria, catered to by a stream of peppy teen-age volunteers, the unemployed computer engineer felt like a king.

“This is one of our poorest Christmases,” Lange said. “I’m not working and neither is my wife. But this is one of our better Christmases. It’s nice what these people have done.”

Lange was among more than 100 needy Ventura County residents who showed up in Thousand Oaks for a free Christmas Day dinner hosted by three Conejo Valley Jewish congregations--Adat Elohim, Etz Chaim and Beth Haverim--to boost holiday spirit and enforce community togetherness.

Adat Elohim incurred more than $25,000 in damages from an arson fire in 1991, and organizers said the Christian community showed congregation members such remarkable support that they felt they had to give something back.

“We hoped to attract more people,” said Donn Delson, who along with his wife Joyce was the chief organizer of the event. “But what’s important is that everybody heard what we were doing today, and they have a better feeling about their community.”

Meanwhile, at the Rescue Mission in Oxnard, about 75 homeless people attended a free Christmas dinner of sweet potatoes, ham, turkey and vegetables.

“I’m very grateful--I literally thank God--that there are people like that who are willing to share their own resources with those who are less fortunate,” said 50-year-old Charles Lee, sitting with a pocketful of candy canes after his meal. “It was absolutely delicious, and the price was right.”

Randy Robinson, a 38-year-old transient who lives “here or there” hopping freight trains throughout Southern California, said the meal was the only Christmas present he would get this year.

“Oh man, for those of us who don’t have a place to eat or live, no Christmas, at least we get a belly full,” Robinson said. “The volunteers are very good to us. They did it very nicely.”

In Thousand Oaks, where about 200 volunteers helped cook enough food for 2,500 people and incessantly served those who attended, the surprised guests said they could not have bought better service.

“We have been overwhelmed,” Lange said. “They have more volunteers than they have guests, and they are all looking for someone to serve. It’s great.”

Some attended because they were hungry and short of money. Others simply wanted to avoid spending the holiday alone.

“I couldn’t believe so many people donated their heart,” Doris Nathaniel of Thousand Oaks said. “It really does your heart good.”

Most of the volunteers were students from Newbury Park, Westlake, Agoura Hills, Oak Park, and Thousand Oaks high schools who were looking to do some good on their vacation.

“This is the first time I’ve done this and I really feel good about it,” said 16-year-old Pamela Wisse, a junior at Westlake High. “We’re helping other people make their Christmas better.”

For Delson and others, who said they are fortunate to live in comfort, meeting some of their area’s less-fortunate residents and bettering their Christmas was a touching experience.

“One young lady shared with us that she had been abandoned by her mother when she was 13,” Delson said. “She’s 26 now, living in a low-income housing project here in Thousand Oaks, and she said this is the nicest Christmas she’s ever had.”

The Thousand Oaks Cab Co. gave free rides to and from the dinner. And Delson said the extra food will be donated to Manna food bank in Thousand Oaks, the Rescue Mission in Oxnard and other organizations.

In Oxnard, only about 15 volunteers prepared the food and served the homeless, most of whom were regulars from the city’s downtown. Although they had worked hard to cook the $4,000 worth of food and keep everyone’s plate full, the volunteers believed they had spent their vacation well.

“Some people just throw food out there, but we want to be proud of what we do,” said 43-year-old Eddie Williams, who cooked much of the food. “Whether 200 people show up or it’s just one, we want them to eat a great meal on Christmas.”