On Nov. 25, several hundred of Washington, D.C.’s unhoused people braved the rainy night to gather at the Edison Place Gallery on 8th St., N.W. Inside, teams of volunteers were preparing to serve them a special Thanksgiving dinner and provide a feeling of community.
Started in 2013 by Msgr. John Enzler, then the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, the event replaces the agency’s St. Maria’s Meals food program for the week of Thanksgiving, and offers the chance for guests to enjoy a sit-down dinner, music and the company of their friends. The annual event is put on in partnership between Catholic Charities DC and Pepco.
This year, 58 volunteers served a meal of turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, collard greens, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie to approximately 300 guests. The volunteers acted as cleaning crew, waiters and friendly faces for conversation.
One of the guests, Travis, explained that the pie was the highlight of the dinner, but that the cranberry sauce was in his estimation also “outstanding.” Beyond the food though, Travis was thankful for the opportunity to gather amongst friends and enjoy a festive night.
“It feels like home,” he said, succinctly summing up the ethos of the night.
For Jim Malloy, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities DC, creating that feeling of belonging is paramount to the mission of the dinner. Malloy explained that the Thanksgiving dinner “is a haven for [the guests], where they have dignity, they have worth, and they’re treated like human beings.”
Higher food, rent, and energy costs as well as potential cuts to federal SNAP and Medicaid programs have resulted in a greater need for charity food services, making events like these even more critical for the community, Malloy said. Catholic Charities DC is the largest independent social service provider in the Washington region, offering wrap-around services and assistance to local families.
Malloy retired as a vice admiral in the Navy before becoming the head of Catholic Charities DC two years ago – a fact not lost on Eugene Brown, a guest at Tuesday’s dinner.
I’ve learned a lot from [him],” said Brown, an Army veteran himself, after taking a photo with Malloy. “I’m impressed that he comes down here.”
Malloy was particularly happy with the number of young volunteers who showed up.
“This younger generation wants to do things. They want to make a difference,” he said.
First-time volunteer Sophia Bellamah, who is 26, volunteered at the dinner with her dad.
“It’s been a great event,” said Bellamah, donning a blue apron and latex gloves to serve the food. She hoped that the dinner helped guests feel seen. “We need to make everyone feel welcomed and appreciated, because these people are told the opposite every day.”
Bellamah and the other volunteers spent the night laying placemats, delivering dinner plates, and offering refills of coffee, hot chocolate and more.
“A lot of these people don’t feel like they belong anywhere else,” explained Laura Fewer, who works on the development team for Catholic Charities. “But, when they come here and they eat, they feel like they belong.”
Alongside the volunteers were staff and executives from Pepco, which had donated the thick fleece coats that every guest received on the way out.
For Pepco Region President Amber Perry, the night “hit home.” Perry explained that she grew up on 16th Street in Washington DC, in an under-resourced area. She recalled Thanksgiving as a bright spot in what could be tough times.
“We grew up with very little,” said Perry. She remembered when her grandmother would come up from North Carolina to help with Thanksgiving. Perry calls her grandmother “the magician,” because she would take simple ingredients like canned beans and frozen orange juice and “create the most loving feast from the heart for us.”
For Perry, nights like these offer the chance to give some of that magic back in the form of a meal held in communion – best served with laughter, music and friends.
“This is a special, special time of year,” she said. “There’s nothing more important this time of year than to get a good meal, get folks around the table, and just engage.”
