Costa Mesa Soup Kitchen In Need Of Donations For Thanksgiving Feast

COSTA MESA (CBSLA.com) — A soup kitchen in Costa Mesa is in need of donations for a Thanksgiving feast that will feed hundreds of men, women and children.

Chef Lorrie Sanchez has been cooking up a storm at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen for 13 years.

Two days before Turkey Day, however, the menu is still a bit in flux. Some key items are needed in order to feed the expected crowd of 500 to 700 people.

"We're hoping more stuff will come in, you know? Of course, I would love to do a ham and turkey, but we have like, one ham that came in. So, we're asking if someone wants to bring a ham in, I'll certainly cook it," she said.

Served up every year is a West Virginia bean casserole, which was a favorite of the soup kitchen's founder, Merle Hatleberg. But ingredients are missing, and Hatleberg's granddaughter, Shannon Santos, hopes they will be donated.

In order to have enough food, the facility, which also sends care packages home to families, needs turkeys, 200 pounds of potatoes, 36 apple pies, 70 gallons of milk, 10 pounds of butter, three pounds of sour cream, three pounds of walnuts, 15 pounds of bacon, six gallons of orange juice, three cases of apple cider, two cases of industrial-sized tomatoes, dinner rolls, and paper plates and cups.

"There are ongoing needs seven days a week throughout the year, but this is the biggest day of the year where we go above and beyond, and we're only able to do it because of our community of supporters, our volunteers, our contributors. It's magical," Santos said.

People can drop off any donations at the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen on West 19th Street between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday.