Comfort food has never tasted better
Hundreds of homeless enjoy Thanksgiving feast
Before Harvey Martin dug into his heaping plate of Thanksgiving food at the Denver Rescue Mission on Wednesday, he paused to pray.
It’s been a tough stretch on the streets lately. A gunman opened fire amid a crowd of homeless people Monday, killing one and injuring four others. On Sunday morning, an elderly man was beaten and strangled to death near the Samaritan House Homeless Shelter on Lawrence Street. Days before, a friend of Martin’s was stabbed near City Hall.
Martin looked up from his plate. All around him were hungry folks like himself chowing down on turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, a festive atmosphere engulfing the dining hall.
“There’s been a lot of sadness before Thanksgiving,” he said. “But people smile a little bit more today.”
Martin was among the hundreds of homeless people who showed up for the Denver Rescue Mission’s annual Thanksgiving feast Wednesday. It’s a rare opportunity for people who may not know where their next meal is coming from to sit back, relax and celebrate the holiday with a hot meal, served right to their table.
“We realize the holidays can be a tough time for a lot of these folks,” said Brad Meuli, president and CEO of the Denver Rescue Mission. “So we’re trying to make their holiday a special day.”
The kitchen at the Denver Rescue Mission bustled with activity Wednesday morning, as staff and volunteers hurriedly prepped food for 2,000 people.
Kevin Baker, the Denver Rescue Mission’s new food services manager, oversaw the operation. With the excitement of a kid describing a Christmas wish list, Baker ran down the Thanksgiving feast menu: 65 turkeys, 40 pounds of homemade gravy, 4,500 biscuits, 20 pounds of fresh cranberry sauce, 65 pounds of stuffing, and the kicker — 4,000 fried mashed potato balls.
“And none of it comes from a can!” Baker said.
Baker worked at Disney World in Florida for 19 years before relocating to Denver, and now believes he has found his true calling.
“I’ve always felt the homeless
feel forgotten,” Baker said. “These are people, just people. This is a chance for us to say, ‘Hey, we’re not looking down on you.’ ”
Jose Cordova used to watch live broadcasts of this Denver Rescue Mission feast on prison television.
“They always looked so good,” he said. “It made my mouth water.”
When he got out, he came to the Denver Rescue Mission, which set him up with a nearby shelter. He wishes he could spend the holiday with his family back in California, but since he’s here, Wednesday’s feast is the next best option.
“Today’s about being thankful you’re eating,” Cordova said.
The feast featured wellknown volunteers such as Gov. John Hickenlooper, who for the 16th year donned an apron with his name on the front and scanned the crowd to deliver a hot plate to a nearby table.
“People here come from families just like I did,” he said. “Good people with some bad breaks. Our measure as a society is a willingness to work to help people just like these.”
Baker stood by the kitchen, watching as nearly 60 volunteers bustled around the hall, handing folks meal after meal after meal.
“I want people to walk away and say that this was the best Thanksgiving meal they ever had,” he said.