The Potluckers

50th Anniversary

(Reprinted with permission from SerbWorld USA. To order the November/December 2008 issue, or subscribe to the magazine click here www.SerbWorldUSA.com )

It is often said that we don’t appreciate what we have until it is gone. I am happy to share the history, and some recipes, of a group that is still very much here and appreciated. I pay tribute to what is simply called ‘The Potluckers.”

There is still much debate as to when the idea was formed, on this one’s birthday or at that one’s baby shower. Frankly, I think they just enjoy the 50-plus-year argument.

We do know that Andja “Angie” P.  wrote about The Potluckers in the Jugoslav American Herald on February 1, 1957.In that article, at the first luncheon in January of 1955, she writes, “We started out with sixteen women,” and adds, “By June of that year, we had over thirty.”

Angie P.

This group of Serbian-American women, led by Angie P., recognized that, with two Serbian Orthodox churches in Los Angeles—St. Sava’s and the new St. Steven’s completed in 1952- they might see less and less of each other because this group of friends included members of both churches. So began The Potluckers.

The rules were quite simple: 1. No children, 2. No husbands, and 3. The Unspoken Rule (No church politics.) The organization was equally simple: they would meet at each other’s homes once a month and bring a dish to share.

When the group grew to over thirty, they decided not to allow any new members; their homes were simply not large enough. New members would be added only to replace those who left the group.

In the first year, each woman donated a small amount of money in order to buy a gift for each member who had a birthday that month. After that year had passed and each woman had received a gift, they decided instead to raise money for charity.

In 1956, they began to sell raffle tickets at each luncheon, the hostess providing the prize. That first year they raised $90 which was donated in equal amounts to the Annunciation Mission in Arizona for Navajo children, St. Sava’s Sunday School, and St. Steven’s Sunday School. In addition, several babies were born to potluckers in those early years, and each newborn received a sterling silver spoon and knife set from The Potluckers. (I am proud to report I still have mine!)

The Potluckers’ commitment to charity and their Serbian heritage led them to become very active in the founding of the St. Sava Mission Summer Camp in Jackson, California In 1961, they hosted a fundraising event with an “Old West” theme at Higgins Brickyard in Torrance, California. Everyone dressed the part the handsome husbands could have starred in TV’s Maverick or Gunsmoke. The women were prettier than ”Miss Kitty.”

The Jackson Girls - Gloria, Millie, Pat & Evie

I can still remember Gloria K., my mother; Millie P.; Pat S.; Evelyn M.; and Dee L. performing ”We Are the Jackson Girls,” sung and danced to the tune of the French cancan song from the Moulin Rouge. Actually, my memory is of their rehearsals and is enhanced by photos they were real sticklers about rule #1: No children. There were many more fundraising events in the years that followed.

Today, the original raffle basket from 1956 is still in good use; a raffle is at each luncheon. The hostess continues to provide the prize, and the money raised funds the treasury. The “Sunshine Chairwoman” uses the funds to send cards and flowers whenever a member is in need. Some feel that this is the glue that has held them together all these years.

As with all groups, be careful when you volunteer. Helen V. has been the “Sunshine Chairwoman” for well over forty years now, a title that suits her to a tee, I might add. And Lorraine C. has been the Chairman, the Secretary, and the Treasurer for at least fifteen years.

In 1972, the daughters and daughters in- law asked to join the fun because this group of women really does enjoy being together and having a great time. We had all heard, for example, about the Christmas Potluck when Millie P. dressed as a Christmas tree and led a kolo line out Helen V.’ s front door and into a neighbor’s party, much to the delight of the neighbor’s guests.

When they heard our request to join, our mothers, the wise women they are, referred us to their original rule # 1: No children. They suggested instead that we start our own group. “Junior Potluckers” was the result.

We too had a space issue-far more girls wanted to join than any of our houses could handle. For this reason, Junior Potluckers was limited to daughters and daughters-in-law of original members of Potluckers and to those of a certain age. Some of us were still in high school.

Unlike our mothers, we were only able to sustain the organization for about five years: careers, family, and freeways were the causes of the demise. That is until now.

In recent years, many of us assisted our mothers when their turns came to host Potluckers. Again, we envied the fun and camaraderie our mothers shared. We realized how important this connection was.

Fortunately, a few of the daughters were together at a social event a couple of years ago. They said out loud what many of us were thinking: ”Let’s restart the Junior Potluckers.” And so we did.

Age is no longer a factor for membership, except that while some of us may be eligible for Social Security, we are still called “Junior Potluckers.” We may not get together as frequently as our mothers, but when we do, we enjoy the same things-good laughs and good food!

We are forming new friendships and renewing old ones through a social club that our mothers started before some of us were born. Speaking for myself, it has been an opportunity to reconnect with the past through shared memories of family members, many long gone; kolo lessons; Easter Sundays when we all wore new shoes and hats and stained our hands with colored eggs; church camp in Jackson; and so much more. But, most importantly, we have that connection our mother’s recognized back in 1955-we really enjoy being together.

So, who are ‘The Potluckers”? They are sisters, cousins, in-laws, kumovi, fantastic cooks, wonderful mothers (now grandmothers and great-grandmothers), and above all else “friends!”

They support one another through all the highs and lows life presents. They live each day with style and grace. Theirs are the faces I look for at any Serbian event Theirs are the faces I see clearly in so many childhood memories: red lipstick kisses on my cheeks, dancing kolos in high heels, singing Tamo Daleko in the church hall. And they are the women who continue to share at Potluck as they have for over 50 years.

Author’s Note: I have had the joy of laughing with many of the Potluckers while gathering information for this piece-too many stories to tell here. As Lorraine C.. said, “Had we known we’d still be meeting after 50 years, we would have had a historian.”

I thank them all for being who they are ~ then and now.
~ Paula

For recipes related to this article go to Prijesnac ~ Serbian Cheese Souffle  and Spinach Prijesnac at Recipes by Paula