Helping Feed the Elderly by Celebrating Mardi Gras

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, doors opened at the McNease Convention Center to celebrate the 16^th annual Mardi Gras celebration, a major event that raises money to feed the elderly. Throughout the building, extravagant colors of green, gold and purple emphasized the Mardi Gras atmosphere. Balloons, beads, feathers and sequins overpowered the eyes from every direction. Approximately over 200 people attended this event. Many people donned decorative masks to express the Mardi Gras spirit. As people entered into the main hall, the aroma of free food samples consumed the room, ranging from waffles to enchiladas. Lively jazz music from a live band pleased the ears of visitors, prompting them to tap their feet along with the beat.

The Mardi Gras Celebration is an event many people look forward to, especially after the start of the new year. Executive Director Charlyn Ocker and Becca Edens, marketing and event director of Meals for the Elderly, who helped organize this event, did their best to ensure everyone had a good time.

“Meals for the Elderly was looking for a way to put the ‘fun’ in fundraising, so they began the Mardi Gras celebration 16 years ago at the Cactus Hotel,” said Edens. She added that the organization feeds over 700 seniors throughout the Tom Green County area. Both Ocker and Edens agreed that community support has helped Meals for the Elderly flourish.

To entice people to the fun of the event, the celebration included games such as Bingo, Texas Hold ‘Em and Mahjong. Kids also got to enjoy a bit of fun in their own designated area. Not to mention, many people got to hear their fortunes told by the palm readers and fortune tellers who dedicated their time to help in a cause they believe in. 

Sabrina Louis, one of the palm readers, said “I love giving back to the community, and this is a great benefit for Meals for the Elderly. We need to take care of our older generation, because they gave us life.”

Additionally, many food vendors set up shop at the Mardi Gras event, providing hand crafted food as part of their charitable donations. Many volunteers at the event showed their enthusiasm with their smiling faces.

As things began to wind down, people swarmed the silent auction tables to get in their last bid of the night. All items for the silent auction were donated by various people and businesses. Many hand-crafted art, decorative items and more adorned every table. Additionally, by purchasing a ticket, people were entered into a raffle for door prizes, so many people walked away with a few goodies.

Edens said in addition to the Mardi Gras celebration, two other events are held each year to help raise funds to feed the elderly. A clay shoot is held on the first Saturday in June, and the second fundraiser includes a Christmas open house held every second Sunday of December. During the open house, a considerate home owner opens up his or her home to help raise money.

As a volunteer-sponsored event, people of all ages attended and contributed in making the Meals for the Elderly Mardi Gras celebration a big success.