Emancipation Garden was already busy by midmorning Thursday, but as the sun climbed higher, the familiar rhythm of the Penn-Scipio Thanksgiving Luncheon took hold. Volunteers in aprons moved between tables, pots and warmers were lifted into place, and longtime supporters greeted one another with the ease of family. Nearly 30 years in, the event has become a touchstone of the holiday on St. Thomas — but this year, the atmosphere carried a different weight.
Organized by Francine Penn-Scipio, the luncheon has always been about feeding the community in body and spirit. But with SNAP benefit reductions, rising grocery prices, and a surge in similar holiday events across the island, Penn-Scipio wondered whether attendance — or support — might shift. It didn’t.
“The need is there,” she said plainly, stepping away from the serving line for a brief moment. “I was a little concerned because so many people are doing it, and I thought maybe the turnout would be less. But it doesn’t seem that way. People like to come here. I’m happy for them, and I try to make them happy as long as I can.”
Even more striking: at a time when many households are stretched thin, donors reached deeper.
“In times like these, you think people might give less,” Penn-Scipio said. “But nobody who always gave said no. Some gave a little more. Others gave what they could. I’m grateful for my people.”
Her son, Kellen Phillips, echoed the surprise. “Even with the cost of living going up, people donated more,” he said. “I think the community recognizes it’s not about them — it’s about what you can do for others.”
This year, Phillips estimated that roughly 400 meals were prepared, with 27 to 30 volunteers and close to 20 donors, from individuals who contributed a can of vegetables to those who offered checks of $500 or more.
The tradition began decades ago with Penn-Scipio’s late husband, Clarence Scipio, whose vision of fellowship and faith shaped the earliest gatherings. Over the years, it has grown with the support of longtime sponsors such as CC1, the Barbel family, Caribbean Foods, and I. Levin — names that have stood behind the luncheon even as it outgrew church halls and small kitchens and found its home in Emancipation Garden.
But at the heart of the effort is a single donor who helped make the event possible for decades: the late Leo Barbel, who once told Penn-Scipio, “This is a ministry you’re doing.” Before his passing, he promised that support would continue — a promise kept faithfully by his niece, who still delivers a check every year.
“He told me, ‘When I’m gone, they’re going to carry on,’” Penn-Scipio said. “And they have.”
Other supporters, including Hugo Hodge Jr., CC1, Caribbean Foods, and I. Levin, along with a growing roster of individual donors, continue to show up in ways large and small. “Some people give soup, some give a check, some do vegetables — whatever they can, they do,” she added.
The volunteers are just as varied. Newcomer Lindsay Shauss, development director at VI Help at the St. Thomas East End Medical Center, joined Thursday for the first time after being invited by Diane Morales — Penn-Scipio’s daughter. “I’ve lived on island for two years,” Shauss said. “It felt good to give back today, to be part of something bigger.”
Meanwhile, longtime volunteer and Charlotte Amalie High School counselor Lorna Daniel has spent a decade helping at the luncheon, originally invited by her former seventh-grade student, Penn-Scipio’s granddaughter, hospitality teacher Alliyah Dessout. “The joy on people’s faces keeps me coming back,” Daniel said. “You see them, and you just want to keep showing up.”
This year’s menu, as always, blended tradition and comfort: turkey, chicken, ham, baked dishes, saltfish and soups prepared by close friends and supporters. Penn-Scipio used to cook much of the food herself, but as the luncheon grew, she turned to trusted hands to help with the volume — “once in a while, I still make my stuffing,” she said with a smile, “but not this year.”
The operation moved in four steady shifts, serving walk-ups, seniors, and those who passed through between other holiday gatherings. And as always, the luncheon fed those who needed the warmth of community just as much as the meal itself.
“We live a life of service and gratitude,” Phillips said. “A lot of people don’t have family anymore. They don’t cook because they’ve lost loved ones. Here, they can come get a meal, laugh with us, even cry with us if they need to. That’s okay. We’re here.”
As in years past, the luncheon drew cruise visitors, local families, and the seniors from Ebenezer Gardens, whom Penn-Scipio makes sure can get there safely. And even with the backdrop of rising costs and deeper need this year, the spirit of the event held steady: a table open to all.
As the line thinned and the volunteers gathered for their final tasks, Penn-Scipio looked out over the garden where she has spent so many Thanksgiving mornings.
“I’m grateful,” she said. “Grateful that people still come, grateful that people still give, and grateful that we can keep doing this.”
