By Alexandra Brewer | Arts & Life Writer
The Extraco Events Center hosted one of Waco’s largest community gatherings Thursday as H-E-B brought its annual Feast of Sharing back to Central Texas, serving thousands of free holiday meals and offering an evening full of music, activities and volunteer support.
Feast of Sharing, which is part of H-E-B’s holiday tour across Texas and Mexico, has been a longstanding tradition in Waco for decades.
“Feast of Sharing is part of our hunger relief initiative that started back in the 1980s,” H-E-B public affairs specialist Emma Shamon said. “Now it has grown into 34 dinners that we host across the state of Texas and Mexico, and we’re serving $340,000 in meals every year now.”
Each year, it brings together families, seniors, students and local residents for a free dinner that aims to ease financial strain during the holiday season and create a space for the community to come together.
“We’re ready to serve 7,000 meals in the Waco community tonight,” Shamon said. “We’ve got hundreds of volunteers from the community and our H-E-B stores, all out tonight, all coming together to make the special night happen.”
H-E-B’s annual Feast of Sharing isn’t just a one-night event — it’s the product of year-round planning by the company’s dedicated hunger relief team.
Inside the convention center, volunteers assembled and delivered trays of food, bussed tables and guided families through the flow of activities.
Beyond the meal itself, organizers emphasized that the event aims to create an atmosphere of connection and celebration. The evening included entertainment from local schools, cheer squads and holiday performers, as well as photo opportunities with Santa.
“Our Feast of Sharing dinner is a way to spread holiday cheer,” Shamon said. “Not only are you getting a free, hot holiday meal, you also get to share that in a great environment with your neighbors, other community members, your friends, your family and your H-E-B partners.”
H-E-B Director of Regional Operations of the North, Amy Linhart, said the event brings the Waco community together by creating a space where people can share a meal and spend time together.
“There’s a lot going on in our world, so it’s good to get around the family table and serve meals and break bread together,” she said.
After more than three decades with H-E-B, Linhart said she has seen how much the community anticipates the event each year as attendance continues to grow, and partners regularly ask about volunteering. The event has become something the community as a whole looks forward to.
“Every year it grows, we serve more and more and we look forward to it every year,” she said.
For volunteers and attendees alike, the experience is meant to offer more than just a meal; it was an opportunity to strengthen the community.
“It brings the community together to be able to feast as one family — as a community family — not just in families,” attendee Enisha Landrum said. “It’s just a beautiful thing.”
