A ‘special feeling’ as 1,200 gather for Well in the Desert’s annual Christmas feast

As 9-year-old volunteer Kristian Gainey was helping serve food to more than 1,000 people Wednesday as part of the annual Well in the Desert holiday meal, he shared a simple sentiment held by many at the event.

“I love to help out people and it feels good, and it’s pretty fun,” Kristian said while serving rolls as part of an assembly line that included his mom and two older sisters.

The Gaineys were part of a volunteer group of 200 strong serving up food and smiles to those less fortunate this holiday season. The event, which was held at the Palm Springs Convention Center, is for members of the community who may be homeless or families or seniors struggling to put food on the table.

But like Kristian, the volunteers get a lot out of the experience as well.

“To watch their faces as they come through and hear them comment about how much they appreciate the food and to see all the seats filling up, really touches my heart,” said Denise Haslam of Palm Springs, who was dishing out cranberry sauce and has been volunteering at this event since its inception almost 20 years ago.

The hot meal consisted of all the holiday staples: Turkey, ham, green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls and a slice of pie to finish it off. All of the food came from donations, and the restaurant and catering service Savoury’s in Palm Springs provided the facilities for all the cooking.

Mitch Battersby, a private chef in Palm Springs, was the food director for the event, making sure everything ran smoothly as a total of around 1,200 people worked their way through four buffet lines.

He said this event means a lot to him.

“For me, food is love,” Battersby said. “So it’s about making sure everybody has a full stomach and that they feel like they’re a guest, like at a nice restaurant. Just trying to give them a good feeling, a special feeling.”

One family feeling that love was the McCalebs as mother Akimmie was seated at one of the tables in the grand ballroom surrounded by her three children, all of them decked out in red and green holiday threads.

She said the day had a full-circle moment.

“The reason I come to events like this is because we were homeless at one point, so to get back on your feet shows that there’s a good opportunity, and I want my family to that when you get down you can get back up. And that’s why I take my kids to these events,” Akimmie said. “I know a lot of people are depressed, out of jobs, out of homes, and I want my kids to appreciate the good things in life that they have.”

The meal is the most important part of the event, but there were tons of activities and Christmas-y moments to bring a smile to children’s faces as well.

There is the ultimate moment, where every child got to sit on Santa’s lap and receive a wrapped gift, but also face-painting, an indoor snowball fight, cuddly dogs provided by Animal Samaritans of the Desert for petting, arts and crafts and a ubiquitous wizard dressed in a blue, white and silver cloak glowing with Christmas lights and handing out balloon-animal hats.

Matt Naylor, the president of Well in the Desert, said having more than just a meal is an important part of the day.

“We want the kids and the families to feel like they’re special,” said Naylor, who’s been part of this event for 16 years. “For many of them, it’s rare to be able to celebrate something together where they don’t have to think about money. And that’s possible because of this community through donations and volunteer work. Creating this village where we come together as one as a community to help the less fortunate. That’s the magical part of this.”

Kristian’s mother, Khalia Gainey, who was volunteering along with her three children, said she had to hold back tears a couple of times, seeing the smiles on the faces of children and families as she added cranberries to their plates.

“When I was a kid, my parents always instilled in me that as you grow older and you’re able to give back with your time or your money, to always look for ways to do it,” said Gainey, a Desert Hot Springs native who was joined by 9-year-old Kristian, her 13-year-old daughter and her oldest daughter back home from college at Arizona State. “I’m trying to instill that in my children and this event — I mean, it’s emotional here today and I’m thankful to be a part of it.”

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 1,200 gather for Well in the Desert Christmas feast in Palm Springs

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