Winter Fest raises money and strong attendance

It’s always good to see the community come together for a good cause. And if you can manage to feed over 100 folks, well, then it’s doubly good.

On Saturday night Elks Lodge in Polson hosted its annual Winter Fest, a fundraiser sponsored by various faith-based organizations in the area to raise money for local food banks.

People packed the ballroom area among lines for food and jam-packed the tables to sit down to eat while live music was provided.

A line of tables on the far wall had hundreds of local items—art, sculptures, gift certificates, wine, and even a neon Coors Light sign— on display, and offered up for auction. All proceeds went toward keeping Polson’s food banks alive and well (and fully stocked).

Maureen Theiler was one of the many volunteers on Saturday night helping to keep things running smoothly. She’s also, as it happened, the “Volunteer of the Month” with the journey Be church in Polson. She was handing out raffle tickets and generally making conversation with attendees.

“It’s not just the homeless we feed,” said Theiler, “It’s the whole community.”

Over at journey Be, Theiler said the organization feeds anywhere from 40 to 70 people a day.

From 11 in the morning to one in the afternoon (every day except Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), people are welcome to enter and have a good meal.

The menu varies, but Theiler said that it mostly consists of soup, bread, desserts, and fresh vegetables.

A couple of times a month, Theiler herself makes the soups. And she makes all kinds, too. Even unusual soups are popular during some weeks. Once she included an “Asian Meatball” soup that turned out to be quite popular.

There are a couple myths that many in the community think food banks such as journey Be cater (no pun intended) to—the downtrodden, down-on-their-luck, poor (in spirit and finances), all are welcome, but Theiler said that it’s also a place for people to gather to simply be in the company of other people. She said they are seeing an “influx” of teenagers, too.

Susan Evans started the whole event over ten years ago.

In August of 2005 (“right around the time of Hurricane Katrina”) she came up with the idea for Elks to host their “Friday Nite Dinners,” which help to offset the costs of food banks such as journey Be. She’s quick to note that although she started the events—and helped keep them going over the years—it’s the volunteers that are the true heart and soul of community gatherings like Winter Fest.

“The volunteers come from all over,” Evans said. “It’s a collaboration between six faith-based organizations that do a variety of jobs, from cooking to cleaning.”

Last year, Evans said $13,000 was spent to purchase food and keep the food bank open. And although the meals are free, they do accept donations at every meal—which, sadly she notes, does not always happen with some people. However, she said, the meals are to help.

“We don’t expect donations,” she said. “But people do want to help.”

The “Soups On” meals that occur at Elks are a good gauge of what the community responds to, she said.

So Winter Fest is held every year to help balance the ledgers, as it were, and to keep these meal nights and days available to people.

Evans also thinks there is another reason people are attracted to community meals.

“They do like to be fed for free,” Evans said. “But it’s also because [some people] are lonely.

“We’re here to support the community. That’s how we are here.”

Evans stood back and looked at the crowd, and the raucous loud conversations happening at every table—families, the old and the young, the live music, the auctions, the clean, well-lit space at the Elks Lodge—it was a mighty example of what the community is capable of.

“It’s also a heck of a good party,” said Evans.