21st annual Feast of Sharing Set for Thursday

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The Noon Exchange Club is gearing up for the 21st annual Feast of Sharing on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, located at 1206 W. Ave. B.
The club has a full staff of volunteers prepared to serve the Thanksgiving meal for the entire community. 
Free tickets for the turkey dinner with all the trimmings are available throughout the city at locations including the Copperas Cove Senior Center, 1012 North Dr.; the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce office, 204 E. Robertson Ave.; Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter, 108 E. Halstead Ave., Clear Creek Meadows Apartments office, 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. 
The meal is being funded by donations and monies raised by the Noon Exchange Club, with the city of Copperas Cove also funding $4,280 toward the event. 
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 first feast served several hundred and has grown over the years to include all citizens of Copperas Cove and is now a catered event funded by the Exchange Club with a contribution from the City of Copperas Cove as well. Last year’s Feast of Sharing served more than 600 people.