Families across Orange County will gather around their dining tables to enjoy a serving of turkey, mashed potatoes, bread rolls, creamed corn, cranberry sauce, green beans and then pumpkin pie to celebrate Thanksgiving next week.
And with the need for food still high in OC – one of the most affluent counties in the country – many of those struggling families will have local food banks, pantries and nonprofits helping them put a holiday meal on the table this year.
Ahead of the holiday, Voice of OC has rounded up a list of free Thanksgiving food distributions for residents in need hosted by nonprofits and elected officials this weekend.
The Nonprofits Helping Feed OC Families on Thanksgiving
For decades, Anaheim restaurant owner Frank Garcia has hosted a free sit down turkey meal at the Honda Center on Thanksgiving day through his nonprofit We Give Thank, but this year the Garcia family will be doing a drive through turkey distribution instead.
[Read: Meet The Man Who Has Been Serving Up Free Turkey Meals Every Thanksgiving in OC]
Garcia is teaming up with the Friends of Families nonprofit and Anaheim Councilman Carlos Leon to give out 200 Turkeys on Sunday Nov. 24 at the Brookhurst Community Center.
The distribution will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will be on a first come and first serve basis.
“We’re honored to continue supporting Frank and his tradition of giving back to his community,” Leon said at this week’s city council meeting.
On Saturday Nov. 23, Friends of Families will also hold a drive through Turkey, food and Diapers distribution at Stanton Park in Stanton from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m on a first come, first served basis.
The organization will also host a sit down Thanksgiving buffet at Harry’s Cafe in Stanton on Nov. 28 at 1 p.m.
George Grachen, president of the nonprofit, said in a Wednesday call they have been hosting the sit down dinner for 30 years and there are a lot of struggling families on the westside of Orange County.
“We had just seen a need where there are homeless people and other families that can’t afford to buy a turkey and everything that goes along with making a meal,” he said. “We wanted to fulfill a need.”
Share Ourselves, a community health clinic that helped needy residents during the pandemic, will hold a Thanksgiving drive through distribution on Saturday Nov. 23 in Costa Mesa where they will give out vegetables,canned and boxed food for a holiday meal to families that registered for the drive.
Christy Ward, CEO of the healthcare nonprofit, said in a Wednesday phone interview that the drive will provide food boxes and a gift card for turkey to 700 families for a Thanksgiving meal.
“For families to be able to come together during the holidays can’t be understated,” she said, especially with heightened food insecurity. “To help people be able to have the food in order to be able to prepare a Thanksgiving meal is just a great gift that we’re able to provide.”
Registration for their Saturday drive has already closed.
In Santa Ana, the Seva Collective is expected to hold a free Thanksgiving Turkey and food drive through distribution on Saturday in partnership with Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua and Councilmembers David Penaloza & Phil Bacerra.
It will take place between 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Raymond A. Villa Intermediate School in Santa Ana.
“We want families to feel supported,” said Bandana Singh, one of the pantry leaders, in a phone call Tuesday. “We know that at the end of the year, at the holiday times finances get even harder and we want to do whatever we can in whatever little way possible to help.”
The Seva Collective holds two food distributions a month and the following one will be held on Dec. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Raymond A. Villa Intermediate School in Santa Ana.
On Saturday Nov 23, OC Supervisor Doug Chaffee in partnership with ICNA Relief and the United Across Borders Foundation will hold a Thanksgiving food distribution at Sonora High School in La Habra where volunteers passed out fruits and vegetables and a $25 voucher for meat from Northgate Supermarkets.
It will take place from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and will be on a first come, first served basis.
“This is something we do every year, and we want to make the holiday for the families that are hardest hit and give them a special meal to celebrate,” Chaffee said at this week’s Supervisor meeting.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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