REGION: Crowded charity dinners reflect tough times

By CRAIG TENBROECK and CHRIS BAGLEY - Staff Writers | Friday, November 28, 2008 12:25 AM PST ∞

NORTH COUNTY ---- Nearly a year out of work and struggling to regain his financial footing, Luis Sanchez, 42, stopped by St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Vista on Thursday for a heaping plate of free food.

"Without this," he said, walking away with a package of leftovers, "I wouldn't have had a Thanksgiving."

Indeed, the crowded tables at free community dinners across North County offered a reflection of the economy, where cautious consumers and tight credit have combined to put more people out of work than at any other time since the early 1990s.

At St. Francis of Assisi, a line snaked through the three rows of chairs and extended, at times, outside.

Some guests reported a half-hour wait for seats in the 150-plus capacity dining room, despite the feverish efforts of volunteers.

"It's a sign of the times," said organizer Austin O'Malley, 74, who temporarily suspended take-out orders to ensure the church didn't run out of food.

At Brother Benno's Center, an Oceanside rescue mission that provides meals and assistance to needy families, volunteers dished out the holiday feast buffet-style, rather than serve it to the tables as they've done in the past.

"With the amount of people, that's the only way we could handle it," said board member John Blasier, who has volunteered at the Thanksgiving event since 1989.

A few years ago, it was mostly the homeless that showed up on Thanksgiving Day, said Pelon Mercer, the head chef at Brother Benno's, but "now, we're feeding everybody," including the working poor. Volunteers at a free Thanksgiving dinner in Escondido made similar comments.

Mercer's crew prepared 28 turkeys, hundreds of rolls, several pans of side dishes and "a big heaping pot of gravy" for the two-hour meal.

"For me, it's an honor to be able to feed these people," Mercer said.

At Interfaith Community Services in downtown Escondido, some 300 people pressed in Wednesday afternoon and an additional 175 on Thursday for free food. About 350 stopped by last year over the two days, said Jerry Morgan, the organization's director of basic needs.

Morgan said he's reminded of the economic downturn when he arrives to run the soup kitchen each morning and sees Interfaith's full parking lot. Six to 12 months ago, the typical client walked in off the street. Now, they're driving. Morgan suspects they have homes and jobs but are being pinched tightly enough that they're trying to save money on food.

"It's the same people we saw all the time, plus a whole different group of people," Morgan said. "We don't ask why they're here."

As he spoke, several of the 88 seats in the dining hall emptied and were quickly filled. Single men, couples and young families ate turkey and dressing heaped onto their plates. Most cut, and nibbled, and chatted. Some shoveled in the food hungrily. A pianist in the corner played a tune by the musician Seal.

One diner, Mike Hall, said the economy was the worst he's seen in 30 years as a mechanic. Self-employed, Hall said he hasn't been getting enough work to rent an apartment of his own, and is sleeping on friends' couches and taking a free meal when he can get one. Last year, Hall was making $150 most days; now he's lucky to make that in a week, he said. It's not much better for his friends who are mechanics.

"Next month, they might be in the same boat as me," he said.

Most diners counted plenty of blessings despite difficult times.

Ed Lescander, 50, savored each bite of his meal at Brother Benno's while describing a less pleasant Thanksgiving he spent in Calipatria State Prison. "You know you're in a bad place when you get a tray like this delivered to your cell, and you can see it's been microwaved because the Jell-O is melted," he said.

Nearby, Gloria James, 60, reflected on a few painful years before she was sober, when Thanksgiving would come and go without her knowledge. As she glanced around the room, her eyes welled with tears. "It's just awesome that there are people out there who care for us."