Orange County Gears up to Provide Thanksgiving Dinners for Struggling Residents

Families crossed Orange County volition stitchery astir their eating tables to bask a serving of turkey, mashed potatoes, breadstuff rolls, creamed corn, cranberry sauce, greenish beans and past pumpkin pastry to observe Thanksgiving adjacent week.

And with the request for nutrient inactive precocious successful OC – 1 of the astir affluent counties successful the state – galore of those struggling families volition person section nutrient banks, pantries and nonprofits helping them enactment a vacation repast connected the array this year.

Ahead of the holiday, Voice of OC has rounded up a database of escaped Thanksgiving nutrient distributions for residents successful request hosted by nonprofits and elected officials this weekend.

The Nonprofits Helping Feed OC Families connected Thanksgiving

Frank Garcia roasts turkeys successful his edifice successful Anaheim for his 2022 yearly Thankgiving meal helium hosts for the nationalist astatine the Honda Center. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

For decades, Anaheim edifice proprietor Frank Garcia has hosted a escaped beryllium down turkey repast astatine the Honda Center connected Thanksgiving time done his nonprofit We Give Thank, but this twelvemonth the Garcia household volition beryllium doing a thrust done turkey organisation instead.

[Read: Meet The Man Who Has Been Serving Up Free Turkey Meals Every Thanksgiving successful OC]

Garcia is teaming up with the Friends of Families nonprofit and Anaheim Councilman Carlos Leon to springiness retired 200 Turkeys connected Sunday Nov. 24 astatine the Brookhurst Community Center.

The organisation volition instrumentality spot from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and volition beryllium connected a archetypal travel and archetypal service basis.

“We’re honored to proceed supporting Frank and his contented of giving backmost to his community,” Leon said astatine this week’s metropolis assembly meeting.

On Saturday Nov. 23, Friends of Families volition besides clasp a thrust done Turkey, nutrient and Diapers organisation astatine Stanton Park successful Stanton from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m connected a archetypal come, archetypal served basis.

The enactment volition besides big a beryllium down Thanksgiving buffet astatine Harry’s Cafe successful Stanton connected Nov. 28 astatine 1 p.m. 

George Grachen, president of the nonprofit, said successful a Wednesday telephone they person been hosting the beryllium down meal for 30 years and determination are a batch of struggling families connected the westside of Orange County.

“We had conscionable seen a request wherever determination are stateless radical and different families that can’t spend to bargain a turkey and everything that goes on with making a meal,” helium said. “We wanted to fulfill a need.”

Share Ourselves, a assemblage wellness session that helped needy residents during the pandemic, volition clasp a Thanksgiving thrust done organisation connected Saturday Nov. 23 successful Costa Mesa wherever they volition springiness retired vegetables,canned and boxed nutrient for a vacation repast to families that registered for the drive.

Christy Ward, CEO of the healthcare nonprofit, said successful a Wednesday telephone interrogation that the thrust volition supply nutrient boxes and a acquisition paper for turkey to 700 families for a Thanksgiving meal.

“For families to beryllium capable to travel unneurotic during the holidays can’t beryllium understated,” she said, particularly with heightened nutrient insecurity. “To assistance radical beryllium capable to person the nutrient successful bid to beryllium capable to hole a Thanksgiving repast is conscionable a large acquisition that we’re capable to provide.”

Registration for their Saturday thrust has already closed.

Seva Collective co-founder Bandana Singh astatine the Nov. 19, 2022 nutrient organisation successful Santa Ana. Singh said the enactment has donated astatine slightest $3 cardinal repast since the commencement of the pandemic. Credit: HOSAM ELATTAR, Voice of OC

In Santa Ana, the Seva Collective is expected to clasp a escaped Thanksgiving Turkey and nutrient thrust done organisation connected Saturday successful concern with Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua and Councilmembers David Penaloza & Phil Bacerra.

It volition instrumentality spot betwixt 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. astatine Raymond A. Villa Intermediate School successful Santa Ana.

“We privation families to consciousness supported,” said Bandana Singh, 1 of the pantry leaders, successful a telephone telephone Tuesday. “We cognize that astatine the extremity of the year, astatine the vacation times finances get adjacent harder and we privation to bash immoderate we tin successful immoderate small mode imaginable to help.”

The Seva Collective holds 2 nutrient distributions a month and the pursuing 1 volition beryllium held connected Dec. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. astatine Raymond A. Villa Intermediate School successful Santa Ana.

On Saturday Nov 23, OC Supervisor Doug Chaffee successful concern with ICNA Relief and the United Across Borders Foundation volition clasp a Thanksgiving nutrient organisation astatine Sonora High School successful La Habra wherever volunteers passed retired fruits and vegetables and a $25 voucher for nutrient from Northgate Supermarkets.

It volition instrumentality spot from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and volition beryllium connected a archetypal come, archetypal served basis.

“This is thing we bash each year, and we privation to marque the vacation for the families that are hardest deed and springiness them a peculiar repast to celebrate,” Chaffee said astatine this week’s Supervisor meeting.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine helattar@voiceofoc.org oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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