On a day when families gather together, many Nevadans lined up outside in the cold on Christmas morning. Days of anticipation for a hot turkey takeout turned to delicious reality today for Michael Marshall, in line for something good, cooked and baked fresh. He told me, “I do have a place of my own. But due to a lack of money I don't have any food in the place at this time."
Michael arrived a half hour early before the start of today's dinner and wasn't even near the front of the line. Thomas Graham was. He came 2 and half hours before the gates opened...an U.S. Air Force vet who today can barely make ends meet: "Most of my Social Security check goes to pay the rent. It’s like this: I take it as it comes. I take it one day at a time. That's all I can handle."
Today on the menu, the Christmas classics: Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie. CEO of Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada Marie Baxter told me, "We are so grateful that the Nugget has provided food. You know it’s been decades that we've been doing this together."
For this, the original Reno soup kitchen, the free meals on Christmas and Thanksgiving have been offered for well over 50 years. On this day Christmas 2020, there were great reviews even though the dining room had to be closed over pandemic restrictions. Eating his dinner atop a dirty trash can on Record Street, Eddie Weems was enjoying every bite: "It's good food! Good turkey, good beans, got carrots and peas and stuffing. I have pumpkin pie for Christmas dinner!" Where does Eddie live now? "In a tent." What would he be doing today without this? "Being hungry, probably."
Another person told me, it was the most beautiful meal that he's “never” had. Hard times made it more special. Today, there were no worries over getting a Christmas dinner, cooked and served by warm hearts. Marie Baxter told me, "You can tell they're living on the streets and they've got a hard go. And you know, this gentleman came up and he was just very quiet, and he said, 'I just want to say thank you, you know this is my hot meal of the day.'"
Devin Barrientos, the assistant director at St. Vincent's added, "They were really happy that we treated them like real people. That's the number one thing that we get the most here, is thanks from people like they're actually human beings. It’s really important, especially when you're on the street, to feel like somebody acknowledges you as a human being and not as a burden on society.”
