South Philly Review

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Many area seniors will be thankful for Eric Holmes come Monday afternoon.

After seeking food donations since last week, the Tasker Elite president will purchase the remaining needed items today to feed about 200 people a Thanksgiving meal.

“Now we have to start doing all the cooking, which is Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning,” Holmes, a resident of the 1400 block of Etting Street, said.

Holmes, his wife, Natasha, and his sister, Nene, of 24th and Dickinson streets, will prepare most of the dishes for a Thanksgiving dinner for seniors that runs 3 to 7 p.m. Monday in the Family-Student Resource Center at Universal Audenried Charter High School, 1600 S. 32nd St.

“We feed whoever comes,” the five-year Tasker Elite president said. “We don’t say, ‘oh no, you’re not a senior. you can’t eat.’”

Aside from Tasker Elite, Elegant Seniors from South Philly, Don’t Shoot … I Want a Future and Wydi Bodi have chipped in while state Sen. Anthony H. Williams, as well as state Rep. and 2nd District Councilman-elect Kenyatta Johnson have donated turkeys.

For the event, the groups designate each volunteer a specific role — such as escorting a senior between the car and the table, serving and taking out the trash — leaving the guests to enjoy their meals and the musical entertainment.

“They don’t have to get up for nothing,” Holmes said.

With Audenried now under the management of Universal Companies, 800 S. 15th St., the organizers reached out to Universal about two months ago, Rahim Islam, Universal’s president and CEO, said. Universal, which is providing meals to seniors at Osun Village, 2308-14 Grays Ferry Ave., Saturday and 500 turkeys and trimmings to area low-income families starting at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the school, has invited Audenried staff and students to volunteer at the dinner.

“I don’t think there’s nothing more rewarding in life than to be able to help people when they need the help the most and two groups qualify for that — seniors and children,” Islam said.

The younger generations seem to have overlooked the needs of their older neighbors, Holmes said, so ensuring they have a Thanksgiving feast has become the event’s objective.

“It’s a way to show the seniors we didn’t forget them,” he said. “Without them, there would not be any of us.”

The idea to give back to the area’s elders came to Holmes about three years ago.

“I woke up one morning and I said, ‘it’s something we have to do. The Lord is telling me to do something,’” he said.

Its 2009 debut fed about 125 hungry seniors and guests and expanded to more than 180 last year. In addition to feeding those in attendance, each year volunteers compile lists of those who cannot be there in person and make special trips to places such as Wilson Park, 2200 S. 25th St.; Landreth Apartments, 1201 S. 23rd St.; and St. John Neumann Place, 2600 Moore St., to deliver platters.

Elegant Seniors’ president Andy Jenkins, an Audenried graduate, met Holmes a few years ago and has enjoyed working closely with the younger group since.

“It is very inspirational,” the 75-year-old said of giving back to his peers. “Being a Christian — that’s what Christians are about. That’s what the Ten Commandments [are] about. To love thy neighbor, it’s an opportunity to reach out to love your neighbor and the senior citizens.”

A native of 21st and Latona streets, Jenkins, who now resides in West Philadelphia, gives accolades to Holmes, but also appreciates the security that Wydi Bodi — a truck club that cleans up blocks, holds toy drives and feeds the homeless, among other tasks — provides.