For many people the holiday season means the smell of turkey and pumpkin pie floating over families together on Thanksgiving, while presents, colored lights and pine trees bring in the Christmas season – but what about all those people who can’t afford the food and decorations, or even a place to live?
Eugene’s many homeless shelters, church organizations and neighborhood groups share a history of welcoming the less fortunate with open doors and plates full of food.
The Whiteaker neighborhood group held its 19th annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner serving some 2,000 pounds of turkey to more than 2,000 people at its Head Start Center.
Christian church groups play a large role during the Thanksgiving holiday, serving dinners to hundreds of people, and even offering rides to their church for those who cannot get there themselves.
“This year the Thanksgiving dinner was hosted by high school volunteers for the first year. We fed about 50 people, and had about 40 volunteers. We actually had to turn away volunteers because we had so many,” said Ranelle Fortier, the personal assistant to Pastor Gary Clark of the Eugene Christian Fellowship.
The Friendly Street Church held a Thanksgiving dinner that served more than 250 people.
“We want people to feel like they are not alone on the holidays,” said Katie Chase, the office manager for the church. People can come in and sit down at a table with a fire burning off in the corner, she added. Someone will come out and serve you, “so if you want more gravy on your mashed potatoes, they’ll give it to you. It’s more of a family environment,” Chase said.
Many families throughout the county have a home to host holiday dinners, but lack the money to provide the food. As a staple in the area for donations, FOOD for Lane County helps individuals feed their families, but the volunteers can’t do this without help from the community.
“Local donations were down in October 30 percent from last year,” said Barbara Butzer, the FOOD for Lane County program director. “State donations are definitely down,” and federal programs have been donating less every year, she said.
The Eugene Mission also hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, but what sets the mission apart from all the others is its year-round dedication that continues through Christmas.
“The mission never closes, and in fact on Christmas, we may be the only place that will be open,” said Lynn Antis, assistant director for the Eugene Mission.
On Dec. 25 the mission will be offering food as well as toiletries, clothes and presents, and setting up Christmas trees in its various buildings.
“Everyone gets their own little gift. We’ve been doing this for years,” Antis said.
The Christmas spirit of giving can be enjoyed in gifts of all sizes as toothpaste and deodorant brings smiles to the faces of people at the Eugene Mission, but a group of friends at another shelter have found a new, more lavish, form of giving.
This small clique used to exchange gifts with each other, but one year decided “that they didn’t really need the stuff they received. It was like, ‘Wow, a new tie, like I really need this,’” said William Wise, the director of First Place Family Center, a program run through St. Vincent De Paul.
The group decided to take the money they would have spent on the unneeded presents, and instead pool it together. They used the money as a down payment and deposit to house a family living at one of St. Vincent’s homeless shelters. Wise said there are a lot of families who are working but don’t have the large reservoir of cash saved up needed to put themselves into a house because they have to spend their wages on hotels or other accommodations, which can be very expensive.
“Last year the group collected $1,400, and they are going to bring a check to another family for a similar amount this year,” Wise said.
The Christian Fellowship Church has a missionary who visits Native American reservations in the Dakotas and Montana and gives away wrapped shoe boxes full of gifts. The church is taking donations for the shoe-box gifts, and the last day to drop them off is this Sunday at 89780 North Game Farm Road.
While FOOD for Lane County experiences the greatest number of donations during November and December, Butzer said their goal is “truly, truly more for the holidays. We need good quality food for our warehouse.”
The organization is asking community members to give donations of shelf-stable goods, canned foods and box foods that are high in protein such as tuna, chili and stew as well as canned fruits and vegetables. Donations locations can be found at www.foodforlanecounty.org, and click on the Donate Food link.
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Eugene helps homeless over holidays
Daily Emerald
November 30, 2007
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