Feast of Sharing sponsored by H-E-B

Allen Vasquez chewed on a piece of turkey as his great-grandmother finished her pumpkin pie on Thursday. Surrounded by the hustle of volunteers and the din of other families chatting over their meals in the Jacob Brown Auditorium, 10-month-old Vasquez was enjoying his first taste of Thanksgiving.

Vasquez was one of 11,000 people fed during the 17th annual Feast of Sharing sponsored by H-E-B. His mother, Leslie, said her son had had his fill.

"This will probably be our only Thanksgiving meal this year," she said. "It was good."

Brownsville is one of 29 cities in Texas to benefit from the free meals. National and local organizations like The Boys and Girls Club, Pepsi, The Boy Scouts of America, and Good Neighbor Settlement House donated food and funding.

In addition, more than 1,000 volunteers turned out in Brownsville to cut pies, spoon out stuffing, set and clear tables, and pass out drinks.

Volunteers waited in the stands for more than an hour to lend a hand during the festivities.

"That’s the magic of this thing," said Eddie Garcia, a consultant with the H-E-B Food Bank Program. "Not only does it help the people who come to eat, it also allows people to give of themselves. It’s an opportunity to serve."

The chairperson of the Brownsville Feast of Sharing, Joe Lucio, said the event has grown from a simple meal to include performances and tens of thousands of dollars worth of food.

"People know about this event. They look forward to it; they talk about it throughout the year," Lucio said. "I’ve been doing it 17 years and now I see kids who have grown up here — who are here now."

Ruben Cardenas volunteered for the second time this year, and said he came back for the good feeling it gave him.

"I enjoyed the feeling of giving people stuff," Cardenas said. "Seeing them happy, it was nice."