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Jason Duarte, of Las Cruces, looks at the name of his father, Ricardo Duarte, who was killed in October when he was run over by a vehicle while riding his bike. Ricardo Duarte was one of the 17 homeless people memorialized at a dinner Tuesday at El Caldito Soup Kitchen.

LAS CRUCES - It was four days before Christmas, but for some of Las Cruces' homeless residents, Tuesday felt more like Thanksgiving.

It was warm and friendly inside the El Caldito Soup Kitchen and the smell of dinner coming from its kitchen was inviting. The building was full of activity, with at least 122 people who are homeless or poor sitting down for a hot meal on the first night of winter. Waiting on them were almost as many volunteers.

"It's almost one-to-one service," said Pam Angell, executive director of the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope.

The Community of Hope's eighth annual Candlelight Memorial Service was conducted shortly after sunset Tuesday at El Caldito, 999 W. Amador Ave. The annual ceremony honors the memories of the homeless and poor who have died during the past year in Las Cruces. All were clients of the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope.

Those who have passed are Wanda Tarno; Johnny Madrid; Ronald "Digger" Roberts Jr. and William "Butch" Pike, U.S. Army veterans; Edward W. Barconey, an Air Force veteran; Carl Keith; John Baleria; Joe Williams; Navy veterans Jefferey Rossi and Randy Alexander; James Zukowski; Jeffrey DiPlacido; James Walker; Natalie Dial; Billie Foster; Kermit Feazelle Jr.; and Ricardo Duarte.

Duarte's October death was particularly profound. He was riding his bicycle on Valley Drive, apparently on his way home, when he was struck and killed by an alleged hit-and-run driver. Duarte had been homeless off and on for several

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years and was trying to put his life back together at the time he died.

"He definitely would have been here tonight, definitely," said Duarte's daughter, Rebecca, an El Paso resident who spoke briefly at the memorial ceremony. "My father didn't have much, and didn't have the best of luck in his life, but he was always giving, always willing to help where he could. ... That's because he knew what life was like in the other place."

Duarte's son, Jason, said his father lived in Las Cruces for about five years.

"He was looking for a fresh start," said Jason Duarte, general manager of a travel center in Deming. "He followed me here."

An indirect legacy that Duarte has left was noticeable throughout the dinner and into the evening. Homeless people on bicycles equipped with small lights rode to and from the Community of Hope campus for the special dinner of chili, cornbread, tortilla chips and salsa, and bread pudding for dessert. The lights on the bicycles of the homeless were recently donated to them after Duarte's death brought to the public's attention the plight of homeless residents being able to afford lights on their bicycles for night-time riding.

Duarte's bicycle didn't have lights, apparently because he could not afford them.

"I knew Ricardo and considered him a dear, dear friend," Barbara Briggs said. "He was going to counseling with me, he was very supportive of what I was going through."

Albert Ruiz, a homeless resident who has come to Las Cruces from California, said Tuesday's meal and the kind-heartedness of people was special to him.

"It's a great idea for Las Cruces to have something like this," said Ruiz, who has been in the city for a few months. "There are very good, very nice people here. The Community of Hope has done a lot to help me and others, and I'm grateful for that. The kindness of people here has me thinking about staying here for good. There's so many people here who know how to treat others, especially those who have less."

Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452.

Helping the less fortunate

• Meals were served Tuesday at the El Caldito Soup Kitchen to 122 people who were either homeless or poor.

•A candlelight memorial service was conducted for 17 homeless people who died in Las Cruces in the past year.

•Many of the homeless and poor were also offered blankets, coats, and other cold-weather apparel.

•This was the eighth consecutive year the candlelight memorial was staged, and the sixth year dinner was served.

•A ham dinner with all the trimmings will be served from noon to 2 p.m. Christmas Day at El Caldito. Donations, such as coffee, cream, whipped cream, red beverage napkins and six-inch festive plates, spiral cut ham, fruit or anything else you can think of can be dropped off at the soup kitchen, 999 W. Amador Ave.

•Information: Pamela Angell (575) 523-2219.