Holiday tradition still delivers
Massive Jimenez gathering is canceled, but folks will be getting fed
Echoes filled the empty, cavernous space early Wednesday at the Convention Center, where the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner has provided sustenance and friendship for the masses of San Antonio for decades.
In a normal year, there would be hundreds of volunteers setting up tables and stages, decorating and getting ready to serve the thousandswhopour through the convention doors every year for the communal meal.
The pandemic, though, caused the Jimenez family to pivot for safety’s sake and close the doors of the iconic event for the first time in 41 years.
That doesn’t mean people won’t get fed this year, however.
The family’s mission still is going strong, and Wednesday
morning, the late chef’s grandsons Raul Jimenez III, 37, and Art Jimenez, 34, were hard at work with relatives and volunteers — albeit in smaller numbers — preparing Thanksgiving meals that were to be delivered Wednesday and today.
Their work is part of the legacy of restaurateur Raul Jimenez, who founded the event in1979 to help feed the less fortunate and older residents onthanksgiving.
“We’re grateful and thankful for the city’s support,” Art Jimenez said. “And all of the volunteers, everything donated to us and helping us to achieve our grandfather’s vision and continue the tradition.”
From 8:30 a. m. to noon, a long line of vehicles arrived at the Convention Center’s west loading dock, where the brothers pitched in with 16 volunteers
to load 6,000 chilled meals with help from Meals on Wheels San Antonio. The organization helped the team set up 150 delivery routes across the city for the holiday meal service.
Today, about 250 community volunteers pick up more than 2,500 hot meals prepared by the RK Group at the Convention Center’s kitchen. Volunteers will leave a meal at a doorstep, knock on the door, step back andmake sure the resident picks up the food.
The trays include turkey, gravy, stuffing, green beans and cranberry sauce.
Sammministries, the San Antonio Housing Authority and Last Chance Ministries were among 40 nonprofits and organizations that took part in the initiative.
In September, the Jimenez family reached out to the Meals on Wheels team that has years of experience with delivering food to clients in and around the city. The nonprofit donated 3,600 takeout trays for the dinner.
Since the pandemic began, MOW has seen an increase of more than 1,000 clients. The group’s volunteers will deliver their own 2,000 hot meals provided by H-E-B to homebound clients today as they have every Thanksgiving.
Kristin Rivera of Meals on Wheels said she’s been heartened by local agencies supporting each other during the pandemic.
“It has been a magical time of unity in this time of social separation,” said Rivera, community engagement director. “Jimenez is the biggest and most obvious partnership that we’ll probably have through this.”
Meals on Wheels CEO Vinsen Faris calls it an honor to partner with the Jimenez family.
“Had we not had the dinner this year that would have been sad,” he said. “It’s a time for us to put a smile on our face. (And) be thankful that we came through these eight months, be thankful that we have a much brighter horizon out there ahead with vaccines coming on line hopefully soon.”
In past years, the dinner volunteers have served more than 24,000 meals. Attendees fill rows of tables and dance to tunes by live musicians.
The Jimenez brothers said they would miss the fellowship with guests, but safety and health concerns are their priorities. This year, volunteers were restricted to 21 years and older. Raul said the news disappointed his young daughter who wanted to work with relatives.
“That’s the huge difference,” Art Jimenez said. “Not seeing the faces we’ve seen over the last 20 years who make this part of their Thanksgiving tradition. We’re grateful to them.”
The brothers have been working on the dinner since they were youngsters. When they weren’t chasing balloons, they were cutting slices of pie. As they grew older, family members taught them duties and responsibilities they’ve passed on to younger relatives.
Wednesday morning they stacked trays in boxes and loaded ice chests in the procession of vehicles. Jose Espinoza, 22, and Amanda Benton, 37, from the YWCA, picked up meals for teen members to hand out at a community drive-thru that