H-E-B’s Feast of Sharing serves a full house in Fort Worth at pre-Thanksgiving event

Thousands gathered Wednesday at Ariat Arena, formerly Dickies Arena, in the Cultural District to attend the Fort Worth Feast of Sharing, an annual holiday dinner serving local communities. 

This was the 14th Fort Worth edition of the event, part of grocer H-E-B’s Hunger Relief Program which aims to prevent hunger in the communities where it is held. 

Nichelle Sullivan, a spokesperson for grocer H-E-B, said the company started hosting the event in 1989 in one of its communities before it grew to serving over 340,000 meals at 34 locations in Texas and Mexico. She said 5,500 were served this year in Fort Worth alone. 

“It’s open to everyone,” Sullivan said. “It’s not really targeted to one population or one community. It’s a (whole) community event.”

According to H-E-B, Feast of Sharing has served over 5 million meals since it began, with H-E-B donating 34 million pounds of food last year. 

The event also invited over 40 nonprofits and government service agencies to offer their programs and assistance to people most in need.

Terria Nichols, a community outreach representative, stood behind a booth for The Haven Texas, a medical detox and stabilization center aimed at helping adults recover from drug or alcohol abuse. 

“It’s an opportunity to help out people at risk,” Nichols said. “We want to help out as many people as possible.”

Organizers set up a bounce house, an arts and craft table and free book giveaway section for children. Adults also had the opportunity to dig through clothing racks for free coats. 

Volunteers dressed in dark orange aprons served plates of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner: turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie. 

Nikia Brown sat at a table in the dining hall with her two preteen children, her grandchild and his father. The mother of three — later joined by her 26-year-old daughter — said she has attended the dinner every year for the last five years, adding she comes for the petting zoo. 

“It’s really enjoyable,” she said, adding that she gives the food high marks. 

Children as young as 5 years old joined this year’s volunteers, Sullivan said. 

H-E-B/Central Market will host another Feast of Sharing this year from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Centennial Hall at Fair Park in Dallas. 

Mabrie Jackson, H-E-B/Central Market managing director of public affairs, said in a release that volunteers make the event special. 

“We invite anyone looking for a meaningful way to give back this season to join us and help make this cherished tradition possible,” Jackson said.

Jolie Schruggs, who works at United Way of Tarrant County, usually participates as a vendor. The dinner had barely started, but she had managed to serve some tables. Her 5-year-old Scarlett followed in tow. 

Being able to volunteer with her daughter motivated Schruggs to attend the feast as a volunteer this year. 

“She gets to help out, and I talk to her all the time about giving back,” she said. 

Across the dining hall, the Arlington Heights High School Color Guard performed routines, opening for a local band to perform live music. High school students were also able to join the event as volunteers. 

“We try to give our communities an opportunity to perform, to do a little fellowship with each other,” Sullivan said. “We want to create a sense of community.”

Patrick Oliver, an Arlington ISD high school teacher, brought 11 students to the dinner event. Along with his students, the graphic design and entrepreneurship teacher helped pack beverages into a cart and handed them out to guests. 

“I feel that it’s good for them, at a young age, to know it’s good to always give back to those who might be less fortunate, who may need a little more help,” he said. 

Sullivan said she hopes the event creates a more connected and loving community. 

“We want people to know they are not alone and this is a great way for people to make a new friend and connect with some of the services they may need, because we have a lot of community services and nonprofit services (here),” she said. “We want to build a sense of community.”

Rebecca Heliot is a freelance reporter who previously served as a business reporter for The Oklahoman. She specializes in general assignment business reporting, features and breaking news. Her work has been published in The Oklahoman, USA Today, Community Impact, Houston Chronicle and more. Contact her at [email protected]. 

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