H-E-B Feast of Sharing returns in-person for 34th annual holiday celebration

Ashlee Burns, Corpus Christi Caller Times
·2 min read

Despite the freezing weather across the area, thousands of Corpus Christi residents found seats around the table for the 34th annual H-E-B Feast of Sharing holiday meal on Friday.

The annual dinner returned in-person this year for the first time in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Family, friends and neighbors bundled from head to toe, ventured into the cold for a warm, free meal at the American Bank Center.

Marocco Edwards, 3, leans on the back of his chair while his family eats at the American Bank Center during the H-E-B Feast of Sharing event on Dec. 23, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Marocco Edwards, 3, leans on the back of his chair while his family eats at the American Bank Center during the H-E-B Feast of Sharing event on Dec. 23, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

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Mark Edwards, 41, brought his partner and their three children to the event. Edwards said they come annually and are glad the dinner returned in-person this year.

“Family is everything and sometimes you don’t get to see your friends and then you see them here,” Edwards said. “Every year we come together."

H-E-B’s Feast of Sharing, launched in 1989, serves more than 340,000 meals each year in 24 cities throughout Texas and Mexico. The feast is part of H-E-B’s hunger relief program, which aims to prevent hunger in more than 300 communities the grocer serves.

“We have tons of volunteers from all over from schools to other groups who have volunteered every single year and haven’t the last two years due to COVID, so now they’re back in person helping out,” H-E-B manager of public affairs Regina Garcia-Posada said.

A plate of food is ready to be served at the American Bank Center for the H-E-B Feast of Sharing event on Dec. 23, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
A plate of food is ready to be served at the American Bank Center for the H-E-B Feast of Sharing event on Dec. 23, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

This year’s event returned with a slightly different menu, offering a Texas-style meal of brisket, sausage, beans, potato salad, rolls and dessert, instead of the traditional holiday plate.

The event featured a kids area, crafts, live music and a visit from Santa while volunteers of all ages walked up and down rows of tables offering food and drinks and collecting trash.

“Over the course of the years, it’s been a joy to hear some of the great stories of adults who came as kids back in the day and bringing their own kids back to volunteer,” Garcia-Posada said. “For many, it’s a family tradition every year. For the schools and student athletes, it’s that team building that they get to participate in.”

Though the event aims to feed as many as 10,000, any food not served at the event will be donated to non-profit Metro Ministries for distribution.

“We’re just happy that we’re back in person to really see each other and maybe some new traditions can start now that we’re back,” Garcia-Posada said.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: H-E-B Feast of Sharing returns in-person for 34th annual celebration