Hundreds enjoy meal served at St. Vincent
Dozens of people came and went throughout the day to St. Vincent de Paul’s dining facility on Third Street in Eureka for a plate of Thanksgiving essentials like turkey, mashed potatoes, and three different kinds of pie.
This year was the 40th anniversary of St. Vincent’s Thanksgiving cookout, and this year, they fed an estimated 250 people. In addition to the hot food, providing a space to meet and socialize is important for people spiritually, according to Joe Williams, who was eating a meal and serenading the crowd with a litany of rock and roll classics on his guitar
“It builds your morale, gives you hope, keeping that faith that there’s something better, and being able to smile when you’re in the worst possible situation,” Williams said. “That is where I find most everybody out here has had a strong point.”
Williams has lived in Eureka on and off for 30 years, spending many as a local business owner, but a downturn on his luck and a divorce resulted in seven years of homelessness. He recently found a place of his own through Eureka’s Uplift program. The transition to housing was not seamless, as living on the streets makes people feel institutionalized and skeptical of being placed into systems such as the Uplift program, according to Williams.
Especially around the holidays, Williams called for a greater sense of compassion for people living on the streets.
“It’s hard enough to find a place to sleep most of the time, and then to find a safe place, that was almost impossible, it’s like playing Russian roulette, you never know when your number is up,” Williams said. “I just hate seeing people dying off left and right that aren’t gonna get another chance.”
St. Vincent’s handed out blankets to everyone who came for a meal, but as the season eases into the winter months, they need more. A donation of blankets from the Jus Brothers Motorcycle Club and the United Bikers of Northern California helped, but they still need more blankets, sleep
ing bags, winter coats ,waterproof footwear, heavy duty socks and snow caps.
While the pandemic made the year difficult for many people, an increase in the services offered to homeless residents meant that this year, St. Vincent’s served 250 people on Thanksgiving, whereas a normal year would see close to 600, according to Mary Price, one of the cooks preparing the Thanksgiving meals.
She also noted that it was heartwarming to see an influx of volunteers over the year, though they could only have so many at a time.
“We can only put so many people in the building and still socially distance,” Price said as she spread the sauce over a massive tray full of green bean casserole.
Having a Thanksgiving meal where their clients can eat, talk and be treated as human beings worthy of compassion and respect provides a valuable resource beyond the act of filling bellies, especially during the past year, according to Bob Santilli, St. Vincent’s volunteer executive director. In addition to mitigating hunger, the Thanksgiving cookout also mitigates loneliness.
However, Santilli noted that St. Vincent’s could always use more help.
“We’re still looking for that wealthy benefactor to bless our place,” Santilli said.
“Certainly the staff could use a higher compensation that they have right now with our small budget.”
The police were also present at the cookout to hang out and cultivate relationships, according to community safety engagement team Sgt. Leonard La France.
“You never know when you’re gonna connect people to services like rehab centers or housing. For us, It’s really about relationships,” La France said.
For more information about donations, people can reach out to the United Bikers of Northern California Humboldt Chapter at ubnchumboldt@gmail.com. People can donate items to St. Vincent’s location on Third Street Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.