Fort Worth Ladies Celebrate “Year of the Snake” at Mahj For Meals
10th Annual Event Raises More Than $300,000 for Tarrant Area Food Bank
BY Melissa Smrekar //
Southern Sparrow with a win at Mahj for Meals.(Photo by Sharon Ellman, Ellman Photography)
In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the “Year of the Snake.” People born in the Year of the Snake (which includes 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, and 1953) are believed to be intuitive, strategic, and intelligent. Based on this description, I assume that they also make ferocious mahjong players. The game requires a sharp mind, competitive spirit, and, well, serpentining strategy. Snakes, rise up!
As PaperCity‘s resident mahjong enthusiast, I happily volunteered to “cover” (read: play in) Tarrant Area Food Bank’s sensational annual event, Mahj For Meals. Fort Worth deserves her flowers for being ahead of the mahjong mania that’s swept North Texas in recent years. “Not to brag, but” ardent organization supporters Mary Ralph Lowe and Elizabeth Ray launched this event in 2016, years before non-profit organizations in Dallas replicated similar events.
Booked and busy Lorene Agather (who recently chaired the epic “Rodeo Midway”-themed Desert Rose Luncheon) and Elizabeth Brhlik co-chaired the 10th Mahj For Meals, which took place at River Crest Country Club. The three-pronged event catered to any gal-about-town’s preferred schedule and included Morning Play (where players hit the NightOwl coffee cart first!), a Mid-Day Soiree, and After Dark play. All three events sold out in record time, with more than 500 guests joining throughout the day.
I attend more mahjong events than most, and no other event’s decor even remotely compares to Mahj For Meals. (I even looked back at PaperCity‘s 2021 coverage of the “Year of the Ox;” somehow they even made an ox look chic!) Towering pink cherry blossoms “bloom” inside River Crest’s ballroom. From their branches, colorful coiled snakes unfurled. (“We tried to make it a friendly snake,” Agather said.) I attended the Mid-Day Soiree, and the Mahj For Meals committee even planned a perfectly themed menu. In addition to pan-fried chicken dumplings, crispy vegetable egg rolls, shiitake wontons, grilled pineapple skewers, and chicken and beef satay, the ramen teriyaki chicken salad (in delightfully-branded takeout containers) particularly delighted guests. Oh, and the matcha cupcakes!
Agather and Brhlik sounded a gong to initiate play, and the ladies got shufflin’ and crak’in. This year, Mahj For Meals debuted custom mahjong tiles for the event to use year after year. Local watercolor artist Catherine Cartie designed a custom snake print, which was used on the game table mats (in collaboration with Wren Mats), as well as on the invitations and throughout Events By Bill’s event design. As always, attendees showed up and showed out, wearing mahjong and snake-themed attire and accessories. I knew this, which is why I wore a Mi Golondrina wrap skirt featuring an enormous embroidered snake. The ladies of Fort Worth never resist an opportunity to wear a caftan, either.
This year’s 10th annual Mahj For Meals, underwritten by Folsom Point Charities, raised more than $300,000 for Tarrant Area Food Bank, which equates to 1.5 million meals provided. In total, the event has raised more than $2.3 million for hungry children in Fort Worth. Now, that’s a win!
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