I love Thanksgiving. I love the crispy skin stolen as the carving begins, the tantalizing aromas that fill the entire house, the raucous hollering coming from the family room for thrilling touchdowns and unjust calls and the deep feelings of gratitude that define this joyful holiday.
My fondest memories are of a kitchen in Evanston, Ill., where three generations of women created a traditional feast. My first culinary job was opening the can of black olives, twisting the lid off of the green olives and artfully arranging them all on a silver tray. I eventually moved up to mashing potatoes and snapping beans. And when I had a kitchen of my own, my daughter started the cycle all over again.
She’s now known for her toothsome dressing, perfect gravy and a pie crust that would bring a smile to her great-grandmother’s face.
Along with the warm traditions inside the kitchen, Thanksgiving is special because of what it asks us to do: be thankful for our many gifts.
And for many, Thanksgiving brings more focus to the fact that poverty is a too real problem for far too many of our citizens.
We have compassion for those human beings who are hungry and homeless. We donate food and cash, or we volunteer our time at the churches, community centers and organizations that sponsor Thanksgiving for those in need.
Bridge House is one of those places where a hearty feast will be served this Thursday. And for the past seven years, a dedicated volunteer has been making sure it all runs smoothly. Her name is Jeri Wheeler, but because of her success, the folks at Bridge House affectionately dubbed her the Big Cheese.
She arrives early and coordinates the whole event. She gets the tents and tables set up and makes certain all 250 volunteers know where they are supposed be and what they are supposed to do.
“We don’t want this to be a typical soup kitchen with the homeless standing in line,” Jeri says. “We serve them as though they were in a 5-star restaurant. They are not homeless people; they are our guests.”
She encourages the volunteers to sit down with the guests and interact with them, share stories of their lives and listen to them as they share their stories.
“I see how people appreciate the time we spend with them,” she says. “ They really enjoy the family dinner atmosphere. It’s so much more than good food.”
She also stresses that although it’s important that people help during Thanksgiving and Christmas, Bridge House also needs help with its Christmas in July event and throughout the year.
Jeri is a woman with many talents. She spent years on the road as a standup comic but now is happily settled into her life in New Orleans where she sells real estate and does Web development and IT networking for Carrollton Tech. She also serves on Bridge House’s fundraising committee.
“I like to stay busy,” she says.
I guess that’s so –– because she’s also a full-time student finishing up a degree in psychology at UNO and then has plans to work toward a master’s in social work.
She says she understands the importance of giving back and knows the value of events such as feeding the homeless on Thanksgiving.
“I am pretty sure it means more to me than it does to them,” she says. “It truly feeds my soul.”
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