GILROY
– Margarito Corona, still spry at age 70, said he would have
eaten alone on Thanksgiving if he hadn’t come to the Lord’s Table
supper Thursday.
GILROY – Margarito Corona, still spry at age 70, said he would have eaten alone on Thanksgiving if he hadn’t come to the Lord’s Table supper Thursday.
“I just come here to see the people, see the scenery,” the garrulous San Martin resident said.
Corona was one of about 65 people outside the St. Mary School cafeteria/gymnasium at noon Thursday, waiting for the Lord’s Table – a thrice-weekly free dinner service that goes all-out for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter meals.
All told, Thursday’s feast fed between 200 and 300 people, Lord’s Table coordinator Sue Moon estimated.
When the door opened, Corona was the only one not in line. He said he wasn’t hungry quite yet; he’s used to eating just one meal at day, at 6 p.m.
But other people were raring to go.
“They have wonderful dinners,” said Deede Hight, of Gilroy, who’s come here on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter for six years with her son, Matthew, now 11.
“This is probably the best place for Thanksgiving,” said Paul Richard, a soft-spoken homeless man in line behind the Hights. “The food’s good, and (the volunteers) treat us well. They’re really, really kind. That’s probably because they’re volunteers; it’s not their job.”
Many of those in line had never been to the Lord’s Table Thanksgiving meal before. Some, like Ernie Andrews, are new to homelessness. Andrews is a former employee of Indian Motorcycle Company, which shut the doors of its Gilroy headquarters on Sept. 19, laying off about 380 people without warning.
From there, he found work at Bonfante Gardens amusement park but was soon cut back to two days a week. He was kicked out of his subsidized housing when he couldn’t afford the rent. He’s been coming to Lord’s Table dinners on and off for the past couple months. Unlike some, he didn’t seem particularly eager to be eating Thanksgiving dinner here, but he was far from complaining about it.
“I’m a survivor,” Andrews said.
Harold Jones, of Chicago, on the other hand, was cheerful as he was greeted at the door by a volunteer on welcoming duty. Jones has been passing through California, sleeping in his car along the way and looking for short stints of work to fund his travels – without much luck.
“Around here, … if you just want to work a little bit to put a little gas and oil in your car, it’s hard,” he said without losing his grin.
Inside, roughly 75 volunteers, from children to adults, served the patrons with smiles and many a “Happy Thanksgiving.” Some – City Councilman Bob Dillon among them – spooned turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, candied yams, salad, vegetables and myriad other foods onto diners’ plates. Others served drinks and desserts – which consisted mostly of pies, reportedly more than 100 of them. Some walked up and down the aisles serving coffee, tea, juice or slices of pie. Others stayed in the small kitchen and washed dishes.
“What I want (diners) to feel like is like they’re at your house for dinner,” coordinator Moon said.
June Gracia’s duty was emptying garbage cans. Gracia, of Salinas, drives to Gilroy to volunteer at the Lord’s Table once a week and on every holiday. His wife and children joined him Thursday.
“Before we do our own Thanksgiving, I want us to help someone else,” Gracia said. “It makes us very humble. I’m not saying that by doing this, we’re better than anyone else. There might be a time when I will be like one of these, and I want someone to be doing just what I’m doing now.”
Nancy Pruitt’s job was serving whipped cream. She walked around and offered the sweet topping to eager pie eaters.
“I lucked out,” Pruitt said of her assignment. “I love seeing the kids’ faces when I give them whipped cream.”
Children composed a sizable portion of the guests, as many families dined at the Lord’s Table together.
But it was broken families that were the reason for some people choosing the volunteer supper. Dave Larson, who came to the meal from San Jose with three housemates, said he doesn’t get along with his family members, and they didn’t invite him to their Thanksgiving dinner this year.
“It’s sad, but I guess this is the way it’s got to be,” he said.
Throughout it all, a volunteer musical trio played folk, country, rock and gospel tunes from the room’s stage. Leading the band was Tim Moon, Sue’s husband, who made an impression not only with his long gray hair and beard and tie-dye shirt but with his earthy voice and strong guitar and harmonica playing. Joining Moon was friend Rich Diaz on bass and son Quincy, 11, on guitar.
Tim Moon provides dinner music solo, at no charge, at every Lord’s Table dinner. Sue recalled how, one of the first times he did this, one of the homeless diners commented, “Isn’t he panhandling in the wrong place?”
Every guest was invited to eat as much as they could, and each was offered a Styrofoam take-home box to fill up with extras for later – or, in some cases, for other people who couldn’t make it. Hight packed a full dinner she said she’d take to a friend who can’t get out of bed due to a chronic disease.
Volunteer Danny Chavez is a fixture at the Lord’s Table, and this was his eighth Thanksgiving dinner working. His engaging, affable personality makes him a natural greeter.
“I love to see people smile,” he said as he sat down to his own supper, the stream of guests having fallen off. “I love being around people, being around good friends.”
