Magical holiday feast
Volunteers have kept tradition alive 27 years
There is a stillness in downtown Milwaukee on Christmas Day as the city turns inward, to home and loved ones.
But there is also a special place that bustles with energy and activity, where a community gathers to share a meal. No matter where you’re from, or how tough a year it’s been, you’re invited to join thousands of others for the simple pleasures of a warm meal and friendly smiles.
On Sunday, the 27th annual Salvation Army Christmas Family Feast was held at the Wisconsin Center.
The event has been going on long enough now that it can be called a tradition.
But to make it run year after year requires more than just good wishes. It requires heart. That’s what drives some 1,400 volunteers to make sure it all works, from cooking turkey and ham to setting up 160 banquet tables to ferrying trays and handing out gifts.
In one day, 8,000 meals were served at the convention center and at shelters and other facilities in the Milwaukee area.
“This is an awesome community-wide event for anyone who wants a good holiday meal,” said Melvin Reese, a retired Milwaukee County bus driver and instructor turned volunteer chaplain.
Reese was in charge of foot traffic. Restrooms that way. Gifts this way. And, make sure to have a Merry Christmas.
It’s hard not to be moved by what you see and hear. The crowd appeared larger than years past. Perhaps a little older, too.
Still, there were plenty of families with kids who lighted up when Santa Claus appeared.
Food and fellowship
Radio broadcaster Don Rosette helped start the Family Feast and even though he now lives in Houston, he returns each year to nurture the event.
The event, Rosette said, is not only for those who are less fortunate.
“It’s for everyone to come here in fellowship,” he said.
Richard Douglas, 67, missed his kids and grandkids on Christmas Day. He tried to get his wife to come to the feast, but she isn’t in the best of health. Neither is Douglas. Yet he went for an hour, and in that time spoke with his wife several times, telling her about the event.
“I just wanted to be around people,” he said.
Sarah Piccione, 35, and her four kids shared a table with her sister and her sister’s kids.
“It’s just nice to come here and stay together as a family,” she said.
Shay Sanders, 43, was overjoyed to be sharing her meal with her five children, ages 1 to 17.
“What I like is the diversity,” she said, looking across the room.
Linda Huber, 62, wore a necklace of flashing Christmas lights. She was there, she said, accompanying two people in need, a lonely older man and another man who was suffering from post-traumatic stress.
“Everyone is so friendly and so supportive,” she said. “This is a very giving and welcoming town. Everyone embraces you.”
Adrian Reed came to his first Family Feast when he was 8 years old, accompanying his mother Wanda Buchanan, who was a volunteer.
Reed and her mother keep returning. Born on Christmas Day, Reed celebrated his 21st birthday Sunday.
“One of the greatest birthday gifts I can have is to make other people happy,” he said.
Ritz Smoczymski, 62, of West Allis, was at her first Family Feast with her son and a grandson. The other day, she saw a news report about the event on television and decided to experience it for herself.
“It’s a real nice get-together,” she said. “It brings people happiness and joy.”