Volunteers Prepare Free Thanksgiving Meals Across SoCal

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — On a day when all of us give thanks for the simple blessings in our lives, many Southland residents are also giving back.

Thousands of residents in Los Angeles and Orange counties will enjoy traditional Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, including the Fred Jordan Mission in downtown L.A., which is expected to serve 2,500 homeless men, women and children.

Willie Jordan, the Mission's president, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO she's thankful for the help of so many volunteers who set aside their holiday to serve others.

"We're deeply grateful to the volunteers from the community," said Jordan. "They started arriving at the Mission at three this morning."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to offer a "Prayer for the City" at The Midnight Mission, where blankets and hygiene
kits will also be distributed.

An estimated 5,000 homeless people and families are expected at the El Camino College Compton Center for the annual Mozel Sanders Thanksgiving Dinner West Coast, named in honor of a late minister known throughout Indiana for feeding families in need.

Upwards of 15,000 people are expected to show up at the Honda Center in Anaheim for a free meal sponsored by the We Give Thanks Foundation, which anticipates feeding more people than in previous years due to the economy.

"It's not necessarily a day for the homeless per se, it's just for someone in need," said one volunteer.