An online column by Vivanda Felice and Pipa Benoit, pseudonyms for two Monroe County foodies dedicated to supporting and highlighting local food spirit and culture

Sharing the Feast

Thanksgiving came very suddenly, it seems, this year. My eleven year old daughter’s schedule was packed with activities and projects through Wednesday evening – and then, poof! It was Thursday morning. We headed to the Metzger-Crook VFW Post 6504 to serve dinner alongside fellow like-spirited friends for the “Share-the-Feast Thanksgiving Day Meal” hosted by the Waterloo Lions Club. The camaraderie and act of spooning juicy homemade turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing – along with all the fixings – filled our cups with gratitude. It has become our family’s annual holiday tradition. 

I was familiar with the work of Lions International on other humanitarian issues, having seen the Lions Vision Collection receptacles outside the Waterloo Walmart, and observed volunteers in the signature yellow Lion vests requesting donations for diabetes programs. I was glad to learn about another crucial cause supported by Lions and their 1.4 million global members: alleviating hunger. To this end, the local Waterloo club began “Share-The-Feast” 33 years ago. Thirty meals, primarily to elderly and shut-in folks, were served at the inaugural event. This year, 312 guests dined in, picked up or accepted a delivered Thanksgiving meal.

Waterloo Lions members, Annie Rieken, Lynn Bersche and Virginia Bersche coordinated the first event in 1991. Before the event began, the Bersches gathered volunteers at their home to fill workers’ bellies with a hearty breakfast. Volunteers baked the turkeys in their own ovens and served from the Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic School cafeteria. The event transitioned to the VFW in 2020. Generous businesses and organizations have supported the event through the years. Don Schmidt’s IGA donated turkeys and frozen pies and discounted other supplies. Later, Jeff & Denise Vogt donated the gravy, stuffing mix, and carry out containers and baked all the birds in JV’s kitchen. 

Anyone who has planned Thanksgiving for a large family is acquainted with the stressors of this endeavor. Yet, Lions don’t shy away from this challenge. Coordinators developed the menu, planned the shopping, gathered supplies, informed the community, cooked the food, prepared for guests, delivered the meals, and accounted for donations. Though the program has been tweaked over the years, the formula of its founders has largely been replicated year after year. Spreadsheets specify the number of gallons, truckloads, hours and volunteers required. This year, Lions purchased 350 pounds of turkeys from Schubert’s Smokehouse in Millstadt. 

In 2001, Rieken & the Bershes passed the leadership baton to Ron and Ruth Ann Mueller. For thirteen years, the Muellers helped grow the event, extending the invitation to the larger community, delivering fliers to churches, banks, and stores. Later, the Muellers bestowed the honor on their daughter Sarah and her husband Michael Karban, assisted by George Obernagel. 

When 30 volunteers descend on the VFW for the “controlled chaos” of Thanksgiving morning, organizers have already invested dozens of hours in preparation, purchasing, planning, recruiting, and advertising the event. Many of the volunteers schedule their own family’s Thanksgiving meals the weekends before or after “turkey day,” as the event is an exhausting endeavor. Sue Sweet spent hours on the phone accepting delivery requests for approximately 100 meals to Waterloo, Columbia, Valmeyer, Prairie du Rocher and Red Bud. 

Sarah and Mike find great fulfillment in coordinating, and see their children carrying on the tradition in the future. Their kids are already eager volunteers, assisting Chefs Eric, Bob and long-time volunteers Kenny & Isabel Jackson in the VFW kitchen. “This is the best thing Lions have done for this community,” Sarah warmly offered, admitting that she may never know the magnitude and impact on the lives of volunteers and attendees.

The meal is funded partially by community donations, though the donations never completely cover the Club’s costs. The real payment comes in the gratitude on attendees’ faces, and the dozens of appreciation cards that describe the meal as a gift to both body and soul. The Muellers remembered a large family who were driving through town during the holidays and stopped in for the meal after seeing a sign advertising the event. When volunteers learned that the family was living out of their car, humbled workers discretely packed up pounds of leftovers for the family’s journey. The family offered endless heart-felt “thank yous” through tears.

The delivery drivers often remark about the blessings they personally receive when meeting the recipients at their homes. During one delivery, the driver was invited inside by a senior couple who were no longer able to bake a Thanksgiving meal. The driver was touched when he saw their table, prepared with candles and two sets of their “good china” and silverware, intended for the special occasion. 

After our time at “Share the Feast,” we returned home to enjoy our own Thanksgiving dinner headlined by Schnucks’s smoked turkey and Eckert’s pies – pumpkin, blackberry, and Dutch apple. Slicing three big pies for four people stood in stark contrast to what I had learned about the modest circumstances of some of those we served. I was filled with gratitude for the blessings upon blessings that my family and friends enjoy. I was also reminded of the generosity and empathy so desperately needed in our world.

Just as suddenly as Thanksgiving came, it was over – bringing to a close a blissful week with our son, who’d come over for some much-needed family time. As we drove him to the airport, I felt the familiar melancholy that accompanies goodbyes and endings for me. And yet – driving home – as my husband, daughter and I recounted stories from the week – tears of laughter and joy and relief flowing freely, I realized that Thanksgiving wasn’t actually over. Sure, the day had come and gone – but the feelings of connection, fulfillment, camaraderie, and gratitude were still there. 

That’s when it hit me. Thanksgiving is the gateway to the holiday season – the opening salvo to a month of giving generously and selfless service. I’ll be thinking of those Lions who have been sharing the feast for decades during the month’s workplace potlucks, brunches and dinners with extended family, Friendsgiving celebrations, gift giving and general bonhomie and good will. A month of generosity in many forms – food, money, physical gifts, and perhaps even a cornucopia of patience, gratitude, kindness, and other precious intangibles. May we all share the feast this holiday season and into the new year.