It was not about Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake serving spoonful after spoonful of thick, deep-red cranberry sauce.
It was not about Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge dishing out slice after slice of thick, white, gravy-drenched turkey.
Nor Portland coach Nate McMillan standing, smiling, serving and once again helping out others in need. This time for two hours the night before the San Antonio Spurs came to town for a game in the Rose Garden — the same building a reported 6,500 homeless and critically low income individuals walked through the halls Thursday during the Blazers’ 14th annual Harvest Dinner.
It was about Tim Oyen, a 37-year-old Vancouver resident who balanced a plate filled with Thanksgiving-themed food with one hand, while proudly showing off a just-filled cavity in his lower-left jaw with the other.
“I appreciate the work they did,” Oyen said.
It was about Richelle Wilhite and Jee Park, volunteers for the Portland Women’s Crisis Line, who used Thursday as an opportunity to reach out to women dealing with domestic or sexual violence who otherwise might not be able to find an open ear.
And it was about the Portland Trail Blazers as a whole. An organization that gets it, when so few modern professional sports franchises do. And an organization that again found a way to bring essential items such as food, social and medical services, phone calls — even haircuts — to thousands of regional people in need.
Long lines filled with a staggering variety of homeless and disadvantaged men, women and children formed and waited outside the Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon. They huddled together and peered through tall glass windows. And then they walked through entrances, walked on floors and sat on seats normally filled by those with a better view of life.
Once inside, though, those in need were equal.
And so many were fans.
“Hey, Greg! San Antonio is going dowwwwwwwn!” one person said to Blazers center Greg Oden.
“How’s your knee doing?” another wondered.
And a comedian went for the gut: “How’s it going, shorty?”
Oden smiled wide and laughed. He paused to take part in a few pictures. And then he got back to serving.
“I think fans here are all different types of fans,” Oden said. “Everybody here just loves the Blazers. And that’s good to see. We’re meeting people who probably aren’t as fortunate as us, and for us to be able to help them out is something awesome. But knowing that they know everything about us, too, that’s always good.”
Blake was midway through portioning out yet another spoonful of jelly-like cranberries when an admirer offered support.
“You’re going to win tomorrow,” a man said. “I’ve got faith in you guys.”
Blake said thanks. Then he, too, got back to serving.
Tony Hendryx, general manager of Ovation Food Services, tossed out big statistics: 1,500 pounds of ham; 1,500 pounds of turkey; 800 pumpkin pies; 375 pounds of stuffing; 75 gallons of gravy.
A harder sell: Blake’s cranberries.
“I don’t really like cranberry sauce,” Blake said, holding back a grin.
But others did.
And when they weren’t eating a warm meal on what could’ve been just another long night; when they weren’t smiling and pointing and asking for autographs; they were getting their eyes checked, getting their teeth fixed, getting their hair cut.
Getting help.
“We try to do it early, right before the holiday season starts, as a reminder to everybody that there is so much need,” said Traci Rose, Blazers vice president of community relations and corporate communications.
Rose added: “The attention that an event like this gets helps the community understand that 5,000 people need a meal.”
Minutes before Rose spoke about being part of an organization filled with coaches, players and employees who “get it,” a minor eruption broke out.
A bald white male wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses began shouting and preaching to no one in particular.
“The meek will inherit the Earth!” he said.
Briefly, the serving stopped.
Then the man began to clap and smile. And then he walked away.
And the food again poured down upon soon-to-be-filled plates.
Brian T. Smith covers the Trail Blazers for The Columbian. Contact him at 360-735-4528 or brian.smith@columbian.com. Read his Blazers Banter blog at columbian.com/blazerbanter. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/blazerbant
