A beloved annual event in Greenwood benefiting the Community Kitchen will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity.
The Celebrity Waiter Dinner, which this year has a Hawaiian luau theme, promises fun and laughter for a good cause.
“The Celebrity Waiter Dinner is the Kitchen’s only big fundraiser,” said Jenny Thompson, fundraising chairman. “The Kitchen is where my heart is, and people love it. They look forward to it every year.”
“Our community needs the Kitchen, and the Kitchen needs money,” said Freda Maxey, the Community Kitchen’s financial officer. “People do not mind donating to it.”
This is the 15th year of the Celebrity Waiter Dinner, which has changed venues at various times over the years. It is the fifth year for Maxey and Thompson to organize the event, which will again host 200 guests. This is the second year the dinner has been held in the Parish Hall of the Church of the Nativity. Though no hard liquor will be served, beer and wine will be.
All proceeds go to the Community Kitchen, which is located at 200 E. Johnson St.
Tickets for this year’s dinner went on sale in May but plans for the luau have been in the works since last October’s Halloween-themed dinner, which was the biggest ever.
“We raised $30,000 at that Halloween dinner,” enthused Thompson. “If we can hit that number again this year, or even a little higher, we’ll be happy.”
“We are proud of our Community Kitchen,” said Maxey. “It is challenging and expensive to provide meals daily.”
Inflation has impacted the Community Kitchen, which is now feeding about three times the number of Greenwood residents as it did before the pandemic year of 2020. “Our costs are doubling,” said Maxey.
“We receive generous donations from churches, businesses, and individuals, and we are so grateful for their support,” said Thompson, “but the donations don’t last an entire year. We have food costs, utilities, insurance, and other expenses.”
Tish Goodman, in costume as a Tacky Tourist in Hawaii, displays the Hawaiian-themed sunglasses she will be selling at the upcoming Celebrity Waiter Dinner.
The Kitchen provides lunches daily to as many as 350 people. For many of those served, it is the only meal of the day. Carlee Bailey oversees the Kitchen as executive director. The Kitchen operates in association with its founder, Greenwood Interfaith Ministries.
“I’ve been here since the inception in 2001,” Bailey said. “We moved into this facility in December of 2003. We first fed on the corner where the facility is located. The food was prepared in our homes and plated up at First Presbyterian Church. We are currently feeding more than 300 people per day.”
Lunchtime hours are 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and people are already lining up outside for a to-go lunch at 11 a.m., Bailey said. The Ministries’ bylaws state that no one can be turned away.
“We serve anyone who comes to the door,” said Maxey.
“If there is any food left at 1 p.m., we will provide a second plate,” said Bailey.
The kitchen also accepts donations of clothing. “People can bring their clothes here and we will sort, fold, and put the clothing in baskets out in front,” Bailey said. “They go pretty fast.”
People in many different types of situations benefit from the Community Kitchen. “We are in some cases feeding whole families,” Bailey said. “Caregivers for shut-ins can come and pick up food for their clients.”
Some food is donated from local grocers, churches, organizations, and the Mississippi Food Network, but the increase in cost has still made an impact.
“We have to hunt for things,” said Maxey. “I’m online shopping or going to Jackson to find things and it’s all higher.”
The Celebrity Waiter Dinner was established as a means of bringing much-needed money to the Community Kitchen. Tish Goodman, who will again serve as a waitress this year, has participated in just about every dinner since the beginning.
“I do not sing, I do not dance,” she said, dressing up in her luau costume. “This year I am going as a Tacky Tourist in Hawaii. My whole table is dressing up. I’ll have two tables.”
Two tables equal 20 guests, and tickets are priced at $100 each. Only about a dozen tickets were left unsold as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Tish brings them in and raises the money,” said Thompson.
“I am a little bit of an extrovert,” confessed Goodman. “I have a costume closet. One year, I dressed as the Tooth Fairy. Another year, I was a pirate. Last year, I was a witch. I like to dress up, have fun, and benefit the community.”
Goodman will sell sunglasses this year. Last year, she sold “poison.” “I was a witch,” she explained.
The Community Kitchen is located at 200 E. Johnson St. in downtown Greenwood. The Celebrity Waiter Dinner is its main fund-raiser for the year.
Happy Hour begins at 6 p.m., with guests receiving two tokens for free drinks. The meal will be served around 7 p.m. The menu consists of jerk pork chops, pork fried rice, and marinated skewered vegetables. “Our only real cost for putting this on will be the wine,” said Thompson. “Most everything else will be donated, and all the profits go to the Kitchen. Everything is on a volunteer basis.”
The Parish Hall courtyard will be decorated according to the theme, with surfboards, beach balls, and a selfie area. Pledge cards will be available at tables, and the group hopes people will pledge. The fun part, however, will be the service.
“Anything for a tip,” said Thompson. “Our waiters and waitresses will do anything. Did we lose your fork? Oh, here’s another, but it’ll cost you.”
Catsup, salt, pepper, and other necessities will all come at a price. “Everybody knows this,” laughed Thompson.
As to what constitutes a “celebrity,” Goodman said there are two ways of looking at it. “Used to, you had to dress up as an actual ‘celebrity,’ but we kind of ran out of those. Now a ‘celebrity’ is someone people know from around Greenwood — a locally famous person.”
“People love this event, but we work hard,” said Thompson. “We see different people turn up for each year’s event. We’re growing. We always have guests ask us to sign them up for next year.”
Those who buy tables ahead of time will be contacted first for the next year’s event. “I have a list of people to contact,” said Thompson. “I am also always calling asking for donations. I am not afraid to ask.”
Maxey said guests will get their $100 worth of entertainment. “It’s first-class,” she said. “We have white tablecloths and white linen napkins, real silverware. We don’t use any paper or plastic.”
The two organizers expressed their appreciation to those who donate to the Community Kitchen and participate in the dinner. They are already looking forward to 2023’s event, though they won’t reveal its theme.
Like Maxey, Thompson, and Goodman, Bailey said she derives personal satisfaction from helping others in need.
“Gratification!” she said, explaining why she works for the Kitchen. “It feels so good. I love helping people.”