Noon Exchange Club prepared to host hundreds for Feast of Sharing

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The Noon Exchange Club is gearing up for the 20th annual Feast of Sharing to be held Thursday, November 16, at the Copperas Cove Civic Center from 6-8 p.m.
The club has a full staff of volunteers prepared to serve as many as 600 people a free Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. Anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of economic level.
Free tickets are available at the Copperas Cove Senior Center located at 1012 North Dr., the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce office at 204 E. Robertson Ave., Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter at 108 E. Halstead Ave., Clear Creek Meadows Apartments office at 1202 S. F.M. 116, the Boys & Girls Club of Copperas Cove located at 1002 Veterans Ave., Exchange Sunshine Apartments located at 1103 Leonhard St., and My Brother’s House Food Pantry, located at Holy Family Catholic Church. Tickets are also available at the door.
The meal is being paid for using funds raised by the Noon Exchange Club, with the city of Copperas Cove also funding $4,000. H-E-B and Bush’s Chickens are also sponsoring the meal. The Feast of Sharing is dine-in only.
The Feast of Sharing in Copperas Cove originated in 1998 when the manager of the Copperas Cove Walmart Superstore contacted Bud Owsley to see if he knew of a project Walmart could participate in. The store was prepared to contribute $3,000 toward an event. 
At that time, Owsley, a member of the city council, asked to put in on the agenda for a council workshop, during which members were receptive to co-sponsoring a Thanksgiving Dinner, for low income citizens, senior adults and low ranking military members and dependents in the city, to be held the third Thursday in November.
For the first Feast of Sharing, Owsley, along with Paula Wallis and Elfriede Widup prepared the meal with supplies provided by Walmart, with city employees and Noon Exchange Club member serving the meal, with assistance from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other service and civic organization volunteers.
The 2016 Feast served approximately 600.