Food and fellowship

WASILLA — Sometimes, life can be enough to make a grown man cry.

Since 1992, Bob and Judy Bowers have helped to lead a small army of vounteers who — over the years — have prepared more than 1,000 turkeys, about 3 tons of ham and mountains of mashed potatoes for thousands of hungry Christmas Day diners.

When taking breaks from his familiar place behind his apron last Christmas, Bob became emotional, his wife said.

“Bob came out from the kitchen several times last year just to see how things were going, and he cried every time he came out,” Judy said.

What brought tears to his eyes were the hundreds of Valley residents and families enjoying the Christmas Friendship Dinner, an annual event that fed about 1,700 people in 2009 and hopes to serve 2,000 on Saturday. The couple has been there from the beginning, with Bob overseeing the food preparation.

But he’s quick to say he — technically — didn’t cry.

He was moved by the outpouring of friendship and Christmas spirit, he said.

“It was just God’s calling,” Bob said. “God has called me to be a servant, and I’ve believed that for a long, long time. I just get out there and do what I’m supposed to do. When I see it all going on, it’s not that I’m crying, it’s just that I get so excited or so happy.”

That’s what keeps Elsie O’Bryan coming back and why she’ll be at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. This will be the 19th Christmas Friendship Dinner and the 18th for O’Bryan, who also heads up the event’s steering committee.

“To me, seeing the people on Christmas, that’s my payoff right there, to watch the conglomeration of people come in,” she said. “I tell people that I don’t care if you come in your Lamborghini or a pony cart, it’s for everybody. You have people who, obviously, if they didn’t have this wouldn’t have a meal. Then you have people who just enjoy the atmosphere, or they may be lonely, or who knows?”

The Bowers, O’Bryan and host of other volunteers — about 250 by the time the event is over — are busy putting up tables and chairs, wrapping about 300 gifts Santa will give to children and starting to prepare some 80 turkeys, 400 pounds of ham and 1,000 pounds of potatoes.

The spuds are where Stan Heintzman comes in. For 17 years, he’s arrived early on Christmas Day ready to peel. In fact, he brings his own peeler.

“I guess I’ve had this (peeler) for about seven years now,” he said. “I’ve got arthritis pretty bad and it’s got a big, rubber handle and is just exactly what I need.”

The former owner of Stan’s Appliance said he doesn’t mind performing work that many would consider menial labor.

“I guess the easiest way to explain it is I feel good about it,” Heintzman said. “It’s something the community needs and it’s a way to give back a little bit. It’s a need, especially in our economic time right now. People are doing without and this is a way for people to forget about what they don’t have and have a good meal.”

Besides, over the years, Heintzman has become a potato peeling pro.

“I can peel a lot of spuds, I’ll put it that way,” he said, adding he began his training as a speed peelier as a young man. “I’m ex-military, so I’ve had prior experience there.”

Touches the heart

While the scope of the dinner has expanded every year, the personal stories of how something as simple as a meal on Christmas can affect lives is what keeps many volunteers coming back, said Sharon Patchett.

Patchett has helped to put on the dinner for the past four years. What motivates her is an experience from her first dinner. She was answering the telephone taking orders to deliver meals to homebound residents.

“I was the call center lady, and a woman called me for a home-delivered meal,” she said. “It was for her dad, a World War II veteran, and he had Alzheimer’s (disease). She said that several years before, he had been sitting in the living room on Christmas morning crying because there was no Santa Claus.”

His illness had caused him to “realize” the truth about the Jolly Old Elf, Patchett said.

“I remember thinking that here is this tough man, (who’s) been through World War II, crying because there’s no Santa,” she said.

“So, there was a knock at the door and it was a gray-haired man there with a Santa hat on and a little girl dressed like an elf,” Patchett said. “When he saw them, he cried really hard, because there really was a Santa Claus. The person was there to deliver a meal from us.”

Stories like Patchett’s come through every year, Bob Bowers said. He recalled one from a couple of years ago that changed Christmas for a local family.

“We had a meal for four going out on Pittman Road,” he said. “The people went out there, knocked on the door and nobody answered. So, they have this meal for four they put back into the car and they’re coming back.”

On the way back, the delivery crew stopped to get gas.

“When he went it to pay for the gas, he overheard one of the people who worked there talking to some guy over in the corner about not having Christmas,” Bob said. “There was him and his wife and their children. They had no money, no food.

“So, this (driver) walked over and said, ‘Man, you’re not going to believe this, but God sent me here to see you just right now.’ He went home with this guy and walked in with a great big meal for all four of them and presents for the kids.”

It also turned out that the gifts meant for the other family were also age and gender appropriate for the man’s children.

“It shows that God works in mysterious ways,” he said.

Nothing goes to waste

There’s nothing mysterious, however, about the Christmas Friendship Dinner, which is put on by community volunteers. Nearly all the food is donated by myriad local businesses and individuals.

Last year, a local church donated so many pies that instead of sending a slice with meals for the homebound, they sent whole pies, Bob said. This year, there are so many spuds that those receiving delivered meals will also likely get an extra a bag of potatoes.

Leftover food is donated to local shelters and food banks — that is, when there are leftovers.

“Well, one year all we had left was one turkey wing,” Bob said.Even the scraps and vegetable peelings don’t go to waste, O’Bryan said. This year, Valley 4-H participants will use them to feed their animals.

“I just enjoy cooking,” Bob added. “I’d rather cook for 2,000 than I would for two.”

And if, for whatever reason, the Christmas Friendship Dinner couldn’t go on?

“I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t do this. It’s amazing,” Bob said. “If this was canceled? It would probably be the worst time of the year.”

“Except for our family,” Judy interjects quickly.

“Oh yeah, there is that,” Bob said.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.