Charity dinners provide only hope, for some, for merry Christmas
Cindy McCabe, 64, lives in Las Vegas on $750-a-month in income from her Social Security benefits.
Her subsidized rent of $450 a month is scheduled to go up to $625 a month soon, making every dollar precious. This is why she showed up at the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada’s open-air shelter on Friday morning for a cherished, and free, Christmas Day dinner of classic prime rib, mashed potatoes, corn and a slice of red velvet cake.
“I don’t know how I’m going to survive,” McCabe said. “I’ll probably end up on the streets again.”
McCabe was one of nearly 1,000 people who received a holiday dinner from the non-profit at 1501 Las Vegas Blvd. North on Friday morning. Far more showed up than were expected, said Deacon Tom Roberts, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities. Still, everyone who stood in a lengthy line to get a meal got fed thanks in large part to a charitable sponsorship and donation from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians of California
“It is another great day – Christmas,” Roberts said. “Sad that we are serving so many but grateful that we can provide a great meal in a good environment that is clean and safe and socially distanced. Giving people help and hope on a day where they really need it.
“I’ve seen people today that I’ve never seen before,” Roberts said, adding “I think people are probably more desperate this year because of the uncertainty of the pandemic and the anxiety it creates for the people who don’t have a home and don’t have any security.”
The scene of people in need lining up to enjoy a holiday dinner repeated itself throughout the day in the Las Vegas Valley. Similar meals were offered Friday by the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army of Southern Nevada. Many of those benefiting from the dinners told of extreme hardships caused by the loss of a job, an inability to get disability benefits, a lack of resources to solve much needed problems such as a lack of identification, while some said they were struggling from substance abuse or mental illness.
Others suffered from a lack of hope.
Danny Geisler, 63, said he works in the service industry but can’t find work because of the pandemic. His most pressing need is finding a place to live but that requires “$800 a month plus deposit money” so he sleeps at the downtown Courtyard shelter. He said he’s been getting $73 a week in unemployment, which is an amount that makes finding his own housing impossible. He said the services offered to the homeless are appreciated but he needs a job and immediate financial assistance to get off the street.
“The help around here, it is like a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound,” Geisler said. “In other words it makes you look better, makes you look prettier, but it doesn’t stop the problem. You are still dying from the bullet.”
Dashonna Espie, 46, slept on the street Thursday night into Christmas morning outside of the Catholic Charities compound. She said she is hopeful that life will turn around for her. She said she regularly encourages those around her to hold on to hope, too.
“Trying to help people keep up their spirit and remember Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Espie said. “A lot of people are forgotten because of what the country is going through. I’m just looking at it like have a Merry Christmas. Have a happy holiday.”
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
