H-E-B Grocery Company, in partnership with the City of Corpus Christi, will present the 18th Annual "Feast of Sharing" Holiday Dinner for the people of Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas to benefit the elderly, disabled, less fortunate, lonely and families of active military personnel. The offerings at the dinner will include a nutritious meal, entertainment and activities for the children. The dinner will be held at the American Bank Center on Christmas Eve Day, Sunday, December 24, 2006 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The dinner is free to all who attend.

The Chefs Association and the Del Mar Culinary Arts Students will prepare to cook for approximately 10,000 guests beginning Saturday, December 23, 2006, at 8:00 a.m., at the American Bank Center. Many people do not realize that even though over 1,000 volunteers come to the Bayfront Plaza on Christmas Eve to help serve the holiday meal, all of the cooking is done by a team of only about 30 people including Chef s from the Corpus Christi Chapter of the Texas Chefs Association, Culinary Arts students from Del Mar College and Mess Specialists from Naval Station Ingleside.

The preparation begins with the slicing of 1 ½ tons (3,000 lbs.) of ham into 20,000 slices, and layering it in pans, so that it will be ready to go into the ovens beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 23rd along with the preparation of 10,000 tamales. In addition to the traditional ham entrée, the menu will include the preparation of 500 gallons of mashed potatoes with gravy, 300 gallons of corn, 10,000 bread rolls, 1,200 apple pies, as well as soft drinks and coffee for 10,000 guests.

Chef Mark Carpenter and his team will be among the local chefs providing leadership for future chefs from Del Mar College at the annual dinner. Dee Haven, Food Chairman for the Dinner said that "This event provides a one-of-a-kind mass feeding experience for the culinary arts students, and they also benefit from working along side the community's top chefs."

Over 1,200 volunteers will be assigned to successfully present this year's dinner. Volunteers will perform the following duties: food preparation and serving home deliveries, decorations, children's activities, entertainment, ushers and many other duties.