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    Thanksgiving day hospitality center

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November 26, 2009

Giving thanks in Port Arthur

MARY MEAUX

PORT ARTHUR — Fifteen minutes after the Hospitality Center opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day, the dining room was at capacity for diners seeking a holiday feast.

On an average day the center feeds about 150 people. On Thanksgiving the center feeds about 200 people between the normal serving time of 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

For Josephine Brown and her family the center is a blessing.

Brown, who is disabled, has been coming to the center for about 13 years.

“They have good food and there’s good people here,” Brown said as she finished her Thanksgiving meal. “I see people I know here and some of them are homeless. Everybody leaves with a belly full of food.”

As patrons filed in through the doors and to the serving line, volunteers in the kitchen continued their work preparing the feast.

Don Tate and Matthew McKinney are members of the Nederland Knights of Columbus. Tate, at the request of his children, went to the center early Thursday morning to volunteer the family’s services. Tate prepares the dirty rice from his own recipe, he said.

Whenever McKinney has a day of from work, he uses that time to volunteer at the center, he said. He has been a volunteer there for six years.

“I just love doing this. I love to help others,” McKinney said. “One day someone asked me to come down here and I’ve been here ever since.

Greg Mitchell has volunteered his time, four days a week, for the past five years. he considers it a “blessing to be here to help others.”

Mitchell and Christine Vara, director of the Hospitality Center, took a short break to talk about the center and how helping others helps them.

Vara’s mother passed away last week and her funeral was two days ago, she said. She credits Mitchell for helping her get through her grief.

“I’m her back and she’s my rock,” Mitchell said.

Vara considers the center her second family, she added.

The Hospitality Center, located at 3959 Gulfway Drive, serves meals 365 days a year and volunteers are welcome, not just at holidays.

The center has served almost 40,000 meals this year to low income members of the community.

mmeaux@panews.com

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