Spreading Hope Riesers share success through service

from Bosque River Run Winter 2023

Hand in Hand Tolstoy & Company Combines Lattes & Literature

By Nathan Diebenow

“It is far better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

This quote is often attributed as an ancient Chinese proverb or an old African saying, though in reality William L. Watkinson, a 19th-century Methodist minister, first coined it.

In his sermon entitled “The Invincible Strategy,” Watkinson conveyed his approach to eradicating evil as he understood it.

“Evil is not overcome by denunciation. It is surprising how much efficacy is supposed to go with denunciation. Real, constructive, aggressive good is of far greater significance than eloquent invective; such invective has its place, but it must be accompanied by active practical effort…,” he said.

Published in 1907, Watkinson’s words spread across China and Africa by missionaries, so over time, it would have been easy to confuse the source when people mixed and mingled within differ- ent cultures, ethnic groups, and regions.

Since folks regained control over the recent pandemic, communities around the globe have started to mix again. In rural areas like in Central Texas, supply chain woes and drought have especially hurt families’ pocketbooks, slowing the mingling these past two years.

Yet certain families like the Riesers have consistently carried the candle of hope in Bosque County and, for their humanitarian efforts, Ed and Phyllis Rieser were recognized by the Clifton Chamber of Commerce with the Community Service Award in 2022.

Among their services honored was providing free traditional turkey dinners on Thanksgiving Day from their restaurant – Corner Drug Café – to folks in the community since 2017. The sacrifice of the family and their team of volunteers has been worth it. In 2021, donations given by the meal’s patrons minus food costs were funneled to the food banks in Clifton and Meridian – $1,100 checks for each organization.

Ed Rieser said he and wife Phyllis were both caught off guard by the Clifton Chamber’s recognition, which according to their daughter Nikkolina, was a secret she kept from them for almost a month.

“We were surprised,” Ed said. “When Phyllis [Gamble] got up, I thought, ‘That’s kind of funny.’ Then as she started talking, I was like ‘That sounds familiar.’”

Since the couple retired and moved back to Bosque County in 2010, Phyllis Rieser has served as president of the Saint Olaf Lutheran Church Council, member of the Norwegian Country Christmas Tour committee of the Clifton Chamber of Commerce, and organizer of the music performances at the historic Rock Church during the home tour. She has also served as treasurer of the Bosque County Chapter of the Norwegian Society of Texas.

Ed is a board member of the Clifton Economic Development Corporation, trustee on the Cranfills Gap ISD Board of Education, and board member of the Bosque Museum. He is also a past president of the Cranfills Gap Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Bosque County Chapter of the Norwegian Society of Texas.

Phyllis and Ed Rieser have always been community-minded and service-focused, and instilled these values to their three daughters, Karina, Katrina, and Nikkolina.

“We’re family-centered. We do these things together. Our daughters join in whenever they can,” Phyllis said. Phyllis connects her family to their Norwegian heritage in Cranfills Gap, specifically through her late mother’s cookie baking and storytelling. Ed links his family to his community service ethic acquired in his college days in Oklahoma when he became a member of the Knights of Columbus. The types of service projects he learned in the Catholic fraternal service order prepared him and his family for events like the free Thanksgiving dinner.

“Even though I’m not involved with the Knights right now, I carry the same belief in volunteerism and giving back,” Ed said.

Nikkolina Rieser, aka “Chef Nena” of Corner Drug Café, said the idea for the free Thanksgiving meal came from her father over five years ago. Through his gentle insistence, the Rieser women changed their family’s Thanksgiving tradition from a private party to a public service, she said.

“To quote a movie, you see a need, and you fill a need,” Nikkolina said. “We went into it knowing some people spend the holidays alone, or they don’t want to put the effort to make a lot of food for a small amount of people. They don’t want to dirty their kitchen, go grocery shopping, and do all the prep work. It was just easier.”

“It has turned out to be a wonderful, fulfilling event,” Phyllis said. “After we deliver all the food, we sit down and have dinner together. It’s wonderful to be together with family and friends.”

For Chef Nena, the free Thanksgiving Day meal seemed like a normal day, which starts at 4 a.m. with prep work to ready the food for the first distribution time at 11 a.m. She figured that they served over 500 people in the 2021 Thanksgiving meal, while around 440 folks turned out for the dinner in 2022.

“We served less people this year, I think, because a lot of people are coming back together after COVID and resuming their normal routine,” the chef said. “And a lot of people had the flu this year and were calling us at the last minute. Luckily, I over-planned.”

The Riesers praised their volunteers for their dedication and commitment for serving the Thanksgiving meals. In 2021, they had 12 volunteers; in 2022, 18 –some of whom work at the café, while others are friends from within and out of town.

“We had great volunteers,” Ed said. “It really is a great group of volunteers,” Phyllis echoed.

The Riesers reflected on all the appreciative comments, stories, and “thank you” notes from the individuals, families, and friend groups who requested the free turkey dinners this year.

Following Thanksgiving, the family’s focus turns to the Norwegian Country Christmas Tour.

This year, the couple hopes to pick up where they left off with passing down their Norwegian heritage and food traditions to the next generation regardless of the younger folks’ culture, origin, or ethnicity.

Before the pandemic, the Riesers had invited elementary-age students to participate in the cookie baking process for the

Norwegian Country Christmas Home Tour in December. Those children are now about to graduate high school, so the family is looking for more interested, young talent.

Over the course of two Mondays before the tour, the Riesers and a team of volunteers make and package over 2,000 authentic Norwegian cookies, which includes 600 sandbakkels and 500 rosettes just for the annual Norwegian luncheon at the Clifton Civic Center.

On the day of the tour, daughter Karina Rieser returns to Bosque County from Houston, selling baked goods at Heritage Village in the Armory in Clifton by day and then at the lutefisk dinner in Cranfills Gap that evening on behalf of the Bosque County chapter of the Norwegian Society of Texas.

Phyllis explained that the lefsa making is itself a labor-intensive process, which is why the family creates the potato-based, soft flatbread only once a year.

“In Minnesota, I’m sure there are factories that make massive amounts of lefsa, but we do it the old way. I make myself do it because I’m committed to preserving this heritage in Bosque County,” she said.

Humbled by the attention their community service has attracted, the Riesers point to other individuals and organizations that assist people in need in Bosque County.

“We know we’re just one part of the community that engages in volunteerism,” Phyllis said. “So many folks also work so hard to make Bosque County a wonderful place to live. This is just our little piece.”

602 S Ave G • HWY 6 • Clifton, TX 76634