At least 100 volunteers on Monday prepped more than 6,000 pounds of green beans, yams and then 600 turkeys for the annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner.
Day two of the Thanksgiving hustle and bustle was in full swing at the Henry B. González Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. Volunteers were hard at work inside of a large, industrial kitchen a few floors above where the “feast of the heart” will take place on Thursday.
Now in its 45th year, the nonprofit Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner remains as strong as it first was when it started. A total of 4,000 volunteers this year will help feed an estimated 25,000 people in need of a good hot meal.
Patricia Jimenez, now CEO of the organization, said her father Raul Jimenez Sr. started the dinner in 1979 with $25,000 so that senior citizens wouldn’t spend Thanksgiving alone. A reported 200 seniors attended the first dinner at the convention center.
IF YOU GO
Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner
Doors open at 9 a.m.
An all-faith worship service starts at 10 a.m.
Food, music and dancing starts at 10:30 a.m.
The event ends at 3:30 p.m.
There is no requirement for attire.
“He knew [seniors] were alone, some didn’t have any family, and some didn’t have the means to make their own meal,” she said. “As the word started to spread, he had more people come, and he wasn’t the person to turn anyone away. … He would say, ‘Anyone that needs to come, come.’”
As San Antonio continues to struggle with high rates of poverty and food insecurity, the event has grown and remains relevant. And studies show that social isolation increases in most Texans as they age.
“It’s a feast of the heart,” Jimenez said. “It’s food for the soul, it’s fellowship, it’s everyone coming together as a community. It’s not made to feel like charity. Just come to give thanks, come to celebrate.”
Preparing for the dinner on Thursday is a year-round endeavor, she says. The organization is already fundraising for next year’s dinner. Preparations begin eight to six months in advance, and volunteers are recruited by November.
Even with cost increases on food and supplies, the organization is able to remain strong, she said, thanks to several corporate sponsors such as Walmart.
“The corporate and company donations are important, as well as the $5, $20 and $50 donations we get from so many people across the city,” said Tanya Sammis, spokesperson for the organization. “That’s why it’s a community table — community given and community received.”
Boxes of food containers, buffet kits, stuffing and more food sat in the hallway Monday. It was all hauled in the day before, when supplies arrived at the convention center along with boxes of 16-pound turkeys ready for basting.
A new set of volunteers work in shifts in the kitchen, including employees from CPS Energy, local banks and credit unions, who wore hairnets and gloves. Groups of people stood on their feet, some shredding turkey meat and others opening cans of green beans and cans of sweet potatoes.
Volunteer Jose Salas, an auditor with the U.S. Army, took a week of vacation from work just to volunteer for the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner.
He first volunteered in 2021 when a friend asked, and he decided to come back year after year.
“It’s really a good cause. I’ve always wanted to do it. Every time I went to sign up, it was always full so I never had that opportunity,” Salas said. “I think everybody should do it. It’s a way to give back to the community.”
A mix of rock and Christmas music blasted on speakers in the kitchen, making the environment even more fun and positive. Volunteers made jokes with each other, while chefs in black suits and aprons managed the overall workflow.
Raul Jimenez was a Mexican food manufacturer and restaurateur, who died in 1998 at 66 years old. His memory is honored at the annual event with an ofrenda, which also includes his late wife Maria Del Refugio Quiroga de Jimenez, and their son, Raul Jimenez Jr.
His humble beginnings are a testament to the legacy he left behind. Jimenez grew up in Texas during the Great Depression and didn’t own a pair of shoes until he was 7. He only went to school until the 8th grade, and at 13, worked as a migrant laborer.
But through hard work, his business Jimenez Mexican Foods was listed in 1988 as 40th in the Hispanic Business 500, with $40 million in reported sales across 22 states.
Today, his legacy is carried on by Patricia Jimenez, as well as Raul Jr.’s children, Raul Jimenez III, Art Jimenez and Jessica Jimenez.
The dinner welcomes anyone and everyone, she said, including families and their children, anyone experiencing homelessness, seniors, people struggling with drug addictions who may not be welcome to their family Thanksgiving and veterans.
“We don’t turn our backs on anyone. We serve anyone,” Patricia Jimenez said.
On Wednesday, as kitchen duties continue, more volunteers will start putting up decorations, and the walls of the ballroom at the convention center will come down to open up more space for everyone who will walk in the following day.
In addition to the in-person meal, the nonprofit plans to make 4,300 plates that will be delivered to people with disabilities and the elderly. Requests for homebound meals have been filled for this year, according to organizers.
For the first time this year, the dinner will host Kym’s Kids Zone, an area for children to get face paintings and do activities sponsored by Kym’s Angels Foundation. On Sunday, the foundation unexpectedly doubled its donation to $100,000 — the biggest the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner has received to date.
And in true San Antonio style, entertainment will be provided by Ezzencia Musical, DJ Bling Leader, Tejano artist Patsy Torres and mariachi singer Elsa Herrera.
Organizers say to save room for dessert. There will be 3,000 pies served.