Thousands of Fort Worth families filled Dickies Arena for a free Texas-style holiday dinner complete with turkey, mashed potatoes and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, part of an annual community tradition that welcomes thousands. The 13th annual Central Market/H-E-B Feast of Sharing ran from 3 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 12, with organizers prepared to serve up to 10,000 meals to anyone who walked through the doors.
According to CultureMap Fort Worth, the event is billed as a family-friendly, Texas-style holiday meal featuring a festive celebration with live music, a Kid's Zone, and Santa and Mrs. Claus making appearances for younger guests. Admission is free, and the dinner takes place at Dickies Arena, located at 1911 Montgomery St. in Fort Worth. Those planning to attend can find event information through Central Market's Feast of Sharing page.
The meal was one part of a large operation designed to serve a crowd efficiently. Guests were offered turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and pumpkin pie, according to Fort Worth Report. The outlet reported that the Central Market/H-E-B Mobile Kitchen can prepare up to 5,000 meals per hour.
Getting to the meal and finding support
More than 1,000 volunteers supported the Wednesday feast, according to the Fort Worth Report, with helpers coming from H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V's Smart Shop and Favor, per CultureMap.
Beyond the meal itself, the event offered access to health and family services. The event also included free parking in the arena's south lot and free bus transportation from key community locations across Fort Worth, details the outlet's earlier report laid out ahead of the dinner.
A Year-Round Food-Support Network
The Feast of Sharing is a single event within a broader local support system. Tarrant Area Food Bank says it supplies food to hunger-relief charities and social services organizations in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding counties.
A statewide tradition, alongside local support
Fort Worth's feast is one stop on a network that spans well beyond North Texas. The Fort Worth Report's October account put the program at 35 dinners across Texas and Mexico serving more than 340,000 people each holiday season. A December article in The Baylor Lariat quoted H-E-B public affairs specialist Emma Shamon describing 34 dinners across Texas and Mexico and saying the initiative began in the 1980s. Shamon also described the program as serving “$340,000 in meals” every year.
Other Texas cities hosted their own versions of the tradition around the same time. In Laredo, H-E-B held its 37th annual Feast of Sharing on Nov. 7 at Sames Auto Arena, running from 4 to 8 p.m. with organizers expecting to serve over 6,000 plates of turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes, according to LMT Online. That event also offered free flu shots alongside the meal, and the publication noted the broader program carries an annual total goal of 340,000 holiday meals.
Weeks later, Waco held its own Feast of Sharing at The Extraco Events Center, where H-E-B planned to serve 7,000 meals with help from hundreds of community and store volunteers, The Baylor Lariat reported. H-E-B public affairs specialist Emma Shamon told the paper the hunger-relief initiative started back in the 1980s and has grown into 34 dinners across Texas and Mexico, with the Waco evening featuring entertainment from local schools, cheer squads and holiday performers alongside photos with Santa.
As with any large outdoor-adjacent community event, organizers note the Feast of Sharing is subject to changes due to weather or other concerns, and attendees are encouraged to check with the venue or organizing group to confirm an event is taking place as scheduled before heading out.
