December 23, 2008

Full scale preps are underway for the 20th annual Feast of Sharing in the American Bank Center's commercial kitchen.

Hams are going through the slicer, and tamales are being wrapped with care.  Volunteers, mostly Del Mar college students, are learning what it takes to feed 12-thousand people. The executive chef in charge, Mark Carpenter, who also teaches at Del Mar, says it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for students, who get much more than extra credit for helping out.

The Feast of Sharing will be served from 11am to 3pm tomorrow, Christmas Eve at the American Bank Center's convention center.

If you can't find a ride down to the American Bank Center for that wonderful meal, consider taking the bus. The RTA  is offering free bus rides tomorrow yo anyone who says they're heading down to the "Feast of Sharing."

Buses will also be taking off from the city hall parking lot, starting at 10am tomorrow.

A quick reminder, bus service will end early on Christmas Eve. Call the RTA at 883-22-87 for schedule information.

A local recreation center looked more like a toy store today. The gym, owned by the Salvation Army, was the distribution site for more than a thousand toys. And HEB gift cards, all going to needy families. The toys were collected through the "Angel Tree" program. That's the tree set up in the mall during the holidays.

This year Norw than 800 families applied for Christmas assistance. That's down from a thousand families in 2007. But demand for other services, like utility and rent assistance, has increased by more than 300 percent from last year.