Bill Boluk had just finished his meal of ham, corn bread and mashed potatoes Sunday in the grand ballroom of the Denver Adam’s Mark Hotel when emotions got the better of him.
Tears ran down Boluk’s face as he explained his gratitude for the free meal, gifts and hospitality given to the homeless and poor at the 24th annual Father Woody Christmas Party.
“It’s fantastic,” Boluk, 45, said. “I’ve lived in six other cities. And they should take lessons from Denver in how they treat the homeless. … I’ve never seen anything like this.”
More than 3,000 people were given a traditional Christmas meal and handed wrapped gifts of warm clothes and toys for children.
The event was founded by the late Monsignor Charles Woodrich, who died in 1991. Woodrich, also known as Father Woody, was Denver’s acclaimed emissary to the poor who helped start the Samaritan House.
His other lasting legacy is the Christmas party, in its eighth year at the Adam’s Mark.
On Sunday, hundreds began lining up outside the downtown hotel in the chilly pre- dawn hours. The queue wrapped around the city block by 10:30 a.m., when seating began.
Fred and Ravina Fluckes and their four children waited for two hours to get one of the first tables. It was their third year in a row attending the party. This year, the Fluckes family has struggled with unemployment and minimal wages from seasonal work. Fred Fluckes, 54, works as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army.
“This party means an awful lot to the children,” he said. “My kids especially look forward to the gifts.”
Every year, the need seems to grow, said the Rev. John Lager of the Samaritan House. He cited statistics that show a 70 percent increase of homeless families in Denver over the past two years.
“We notice that 40 percent of them are first-time homeless,” he said. “How do you present a sense of joy and safety for a child who has lost his home, is living in a car or in the shelter? We get to give them this gift … of love and support to people who aren’t getting a lot of it right now.”
Party guests were greeted by Woodrich’s framed photo and a band with accordions playing Christmas music. They were escorted inside and directed to seats at 150 tables covered with white linen, where they were served by some of the 800 volunteers. Hotel cooks donated their time, and the gifts were from myriad groups that spent hours wrapping them.
“This event means Christmas to me,” said Victoria McCabe, one of the party organizers and an ardent Father Woody champion. “It means love. It means the meaning of life. We’re here on this Earth to do good and to help others. … We know we’re not solving their problems. But at least we’re giving them a good dinner in a beautiful place.”
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
