Thousands In Need Receive Thanksgiving Meals Across LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Volunteers were serving Thanksgiving meals to thousands of people in need Thursday across Los Angeles.
Hundreds of volunteers at the Fred Jordan Mission on Skid Row was holding its 74th annual Thanksgiving dinner for which it expected to serve about 2,000 people.
In addition to getting a meal, diners were also receiving blankets, socks and food-filled bags.
The nearby Midnight Mission was serving Thanksgiving brunch to nearly 2,500 homeless and near-homeless men, women and children, according to Georgia Berkovich, its director of public affairs.
The mission will serve 7,000 pounds of herb-roasted turkey, 7,000 pounds of oven-baked ham, 1,500 pounds of mashed potatoes, 90 gallons of gravy, 1,500 pounds of steamed vegetables, 1,000 pounds of stuffing, 500 pounds of cranberry sauce, 300 pounds of dinner rolls and 300 pounds of dessert, Berkovich said.
Scheduled volunteer servers include former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, entertainer Dick Van Dyke, actress Katey Sagal, actor Mr. T, World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The Midnight Mission is seeking donations of $5 to $10 each to help cover the costs of the Thanksgiving brunch meals. Donations can be made by texting the keyword meals to 71777.
The Laugh Factory in Hollywood will host its 39th annual free Thanksgiving Feasts, welcoming those who might be lonely, homeless or simply in need of a warm meal, said club owner Jamie Masada, whose mantra is "spending the holidays alone is no laughing matter."
Stars including Tim Allen, Dane Cook, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Nealon and Shawn Wayans will be on hand to serve guests.
The dinners were being held at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., with a live comedy show to follow each meal.
Dozens of volunteers will come together at Compton College to help assemble more than 10,000 Thanksgiving dinners that will be distributed from Compton to San Diego. Meals will also be served to the homeless on site.
As many as 2,000 people will be served a sit-down meal of turkey with all the trimmings at the 31st annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner for San Fernando Valley residents in need at the Guadalupe Community Center in Canoga Park.
Nearly 500 people in need will be fed at the seventh annual Pasadena Thanksgiving Share a Meal event at the Pasadena Sandwich Company.
Nearly 100 families in need have been identified by the Pasadena Unified School District's homeless and transitional program "Families in Transition" and invited to attend, according to Meghan Fink, whose late father Stephen E. Fink founded the Pasadena Sandwich Company.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
