H-E-B’s free Feast of Sharing holiday dinners are back for 2026, with Austin on Tuesday, Nov. 24 and San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 19 among the Texas stops. Here are the dates, times and venues still ahead, plus what’s on the plate and how to volunteer.
Photo: AI illustration.
What Feast of Sharing is
According to H-E-B’s Feast of Sharing calendar, the grocer’s Feast of Sharing is a series of free holiday dinners, open to the public, that serve more than 340,000 meals at 34 dinners across Texas and Mexico. H-E-B launched the tradition in 1989, and the company says volunteers have helped serve more than five million meals since then.
The dinners are part of H-E-B’s Hunger Relief Program. H-E-B says that program donated 34 million pounds of food to families in need last year, and more than 1 billion pounds to 5,500 nonprofits in Texas and Mexico since it began in 1982.
What’s on the plate
H-E-B’s calendar doesn’t publish a menu for each city. For the Fort Worth dinner, Central Market (part of the H-E-B family) says this year’s traditional spread includes sliced turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and pumpkin pie, according to a Central Market-sponsored story in the Fort Worth Report (Oct. 27). Guests are seated and volunteers bring the meals to the tables while live bands play. Menus in other cities may differ.
Austin, San Antonio and Central Texas dates
- Austin: Tuesday, Nov. 24, 4–8 p.m., Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd.
- Waco: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4–8 p.m., BASE at Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd.
- Temple: Thursday, Dec. 3, 4–8 p.m., Mayborn Convention Center, 3303 N. 3rd St.
- Killeen: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 4–8 p.m., Killeen Civic and Conference Center, 3601 S. W.S. Young Dr.
- San Antonio: Saturday, Dec. 19, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center exhibit halls, 900 E. Market St.
Other November dinners
- Brownsville: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Jacob Brown Auditorium
- Fort Worth: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 3–7 p.m., Ariat Arena (formerly Dickies Arena), 1911 Montgomery St.
- Weslaco: Friday, Nov. 13, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., St. Joan of Arc Parish
- Harlingen: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Harlingen Convention Center
- Dallas: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 3–7 p.m., Fair Park Centennial Building
- Port Isabel: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 5–8 p.m., Port Isabel High School
- Raymondville: Thursday, Nov. 19, 9–11 a.m., Willacy County Housing Authority
- Del Rio: Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Del Rio Civic Center
- Eagle Pass: Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., International Center for Trade
The Laredo (Nov. 4), Midland (Nov. 6), McAllen (Nov. 8) and San Angelo (Nov. 8) dinners have already taken place.
Other December dinners
- Abilene: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4–8 p.m., Abilene Convention Center
- Rio Grande City: Thursday, Dec. 3, 5–8 p.m., Ringgold Elementary
- Odessa: Friday, Dec. 4, 4–8 p.m., Ector County Coliseum
- Big Spring: Sunday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Howard County Fair Barn
- Houston: Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., Reliant Yellow Lot, 9051 S. Main St. H-E-B lists Houston as a mobile distribution rather than a sit-down dinner.
- Victoria: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 4–8 p.m., Victoria Community Center
- Corpus Christi: Saturday, Dec. 19, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Hilliard Center
H-E-B also lists dinners in Mexico, including Monclova, León, Saltillo, Reynosa, Torreón and Nuevo Laredo.
Things to know before you go
- It’s free and open to everyone. H-E-B describes the dinners as free holiday feasts open to the public, with food, music and family activities.
- Expect a crowd. Central Market says it prepares for up to 10,000 guests at the four-hour Fort Worth dinner, with more than 1,000 community volunteers.
- Some cities add extras. In Fort Worth, organizers list a Kids’ Zone with Santa, cookie decorating and a petting zoo, plus free showers, haircuts and flu and COVID vaccines from partner groups.
- Want to volunteer? Most city listings on H-E-B’s calendar have a volunteer sign-up link; some still say to check back. For Big Spring, H-E-B asks volunteers to call the Big Spring H-E-B at (432) 263-3000.
- Check before you go. H-E-B’s page says to check back for updates, so confirm the time and venue on the official calendar the week of your dinner.
Cooking your own holiday meal too? See which Texas BBQ joints are selling smoked Thanksgiving turkeys, or make our sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel a day ahead.
