With need greater than ever in LA County, Thanksgiving volunteers team up to feed homeless

Armies of volunteers chopped and mixed and sauted and roasted and more on Thursday, Nov. 23, serving up tons of food — and endless helpings of generosity — to those in need on Thanksgiving in Los Angeles County.

Operators of nonprofits around the region agreed that the need appears more severe this year as the homeless crisis endures in Southern California.

Embracing its annual tradition, Downtown L.A.’s Midnight Mission closed down 6th Street in front of its facility to serve a traditional holiday meal to nearly 2,000 homeless and near-homeless people and families on Thursday, Nov. 23.

More than 200 corporate and community volunteers showed up on Thanksgiving morning to prepare and serve food for the annual celebration on Skid Row.

According to the Midnight Mission’s officials, one of its most important efforts is “the sense of family we offer to those who often feel lost and forgotten during the holidays and other days of celebration.”

Among the volunteers who helped at the event were musician and activist Tom Morello; musicians and producers Wayne Kramer and John Feldmann; musicians Jason Heath, David Blasucci and David Tokaji; actor Edward Gelhaus; stunt actor Ray Siegle; and models and social media influencers the Talabi Twins.

Agencies serving the needy across the region say that they are seeing more people in short supply of most basic needs — including food.

Though recent reports indicate inflation is easing, soaring prices in recent years have taken their toll, adding to rising food insecurity nationwide.

The U.S. government estimates food prices are up 9.5% to 10.5% this year, but historically they’ve risen only 2% annually. Lower production and higher costs for labor, transportation and items are part of the reason; disease, rough weather and the war in Ukraine are also contributors.

Meanwhile, the number of unhoused people counted in Los Angeles County spiked again this year, increasing by 9% since last year — the latest marker of the crisis impacting those who sleep in cars, encampments or shelters in California.

Results released in June of a federally required tally conducted in January found 75,518 people were homeless on any given night across the county, compared with 69,144 in 2022. About 46,260 were within the city of Los Angeles, where public frustration has grown as tents have proliferated on sidewalks and in parks. Since 2015, homelessness has increased by 70% in the county and 80% in the city.

The problem moves into the spotlight during the holidays, when local leaders and nonprofit agencies work to feed thousands in the region at large-scale meals and offer giveaways of packaged foods, toiletries and other necessities all over the Southland.

To feed a lot of needy people, you need to prep all the ingredients. And roast all the turkeys. And mash all the potatoes. And, well, you get the picture.

At mid-day in San Pedro, workers in the kitchen at the Beacon Light Mission in Wilmington were busy preparing what would be a full Thanksgiving dinner open to anyone who wanted to partake, those staying at the mission and many others on Harbor Area streets.

Supported by area churches, the mission provides food, clothing and shelter for those who are in the most dire need in the community and has been a mainstay in the South Bay and Harbor Area as homelessness has continued to rise in recent years. Located at 525 Broad Ave., the mission offers interdenominational services, speakers from 35 local churches and weekly Bible studies and daily devotions.

Those staying at the mission also receive job training and other assistance in becoming independent and self-supporting after they are ready to leave.

Up the coast in Long Beach, hundreds of folks who are unhoused went “home for the holidays.”

At least that’s how the executive director of the Long Beach Rescue Mission described the sentiment of those who enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner at the shelter on Wednesday.

The mission, which provides shelter and resources to people who are homeless, celebrated Thanksgiving a day early. About 60 volunteers, spread across three shifts, served a traditional Thanksgiving meal to folks who are unhoused.

In all, the mission expected to serve dinner to about 450 to 500 people, said Executive Director Jeff Levine, who has been with the shelter for almost 20 years.

The Rescue Mission also served breakfast to about 300 people on Thanksgiving morning.

“It’s been wonderful,” Levine said in a Wednesday afternoon phone interview. “It’s been amazing seeing people you know and love.”

Many of the folks who visited the mission for dinner have been going there for years. Some of them seemed to be doing well, but others did not, Levine said.

Despite that, Levine said, “they see the Rescue Mission as home for the holidays.”

“It’s a privilege to serve these souls,” he said.

In Pasadena, dozens of the city’s police officers and their families fanned out early Thursday morning from the Salvation Army, where volunteers had prepared meals for hundreds.

The officers delivered the cooked meals to 500 seniors across the city.

And then, later in the day, 200 came to the Salvation Army Tabernacle Corps on Walnut Street for Thanksgiving dinners, and fellowship.

The giving vibes were strong at the Salvation Army’s Walnut site.

“It’s quite the symphony,” said Major Roy Wild, who with the help of 100 volunteers made it all happen, the same way the organization has served Pasadena at its Walnut Street site for 30 years and Pasadena in general since 1888.

Those served included seniors and the unhoused, Wild said.

“It’s really where they can get a home-cooked meal, something many haven’t had for a long time,” he said.

But Wild said there was another human dynamic going on Thursday.

“They really enjoy the fact that somebody talks to them. They are a person, that has a story. They are a real person, just like you and I.”

Laugh Factory Hollywood planned food for more than 2,000 people in need at its 43rd consecutive annual free Thanksgiving feast, owner Jamie Masada said.

Tim Allen, Tiffany Haddish, Alonzo Bodden, Paul Rodriguez, KiraSoltanovich and Tom Dreesen were among the comedians serving.

“Spending the Thanksgiving holiday alone is no laughing matter,”said Masada, who encouraged the public to spread the word about the event. “You might know someone who needs a warm meal. Some of the funniest people in the world will be giving them food for their soul. Laughter is healing, and we need laughter more than ever, particularly in these difficulttimes.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger was among the volunteers helping prepare and pack meals at the Hollywood headquarters of Project Angel Food, which seeks to end food insecurity and improve health outcomes of critically ill men, women and children in Los Angeles County.

“Had a great time this morning w/ the amazing team It felt good to kick off #thanksgiving2023 surrounded by committed individuals. Now, off to spend some quality time w/ loved ones,” Barger posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Gobble Gobble Give was providing meals to homeless individuals at locations in downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Baldwin Hills.

Founder Paul Walker began handing out 28 meals by himself in 1998. In 2019, the nonprofit organization served 33,000 meals, he said.

The Hollywood Food Coalition will conduct its annual Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner at Television City for community members facing food insecurities.

What organizers are billing as “Los Angeles’ biggest vegan potluck event of the year,” washeld from at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center.

Staff writers Ryan Carter, Christopher Haire, Kristy Hutchings and Donna Littlejohn, as well as City News Service and the Associated Press, contributed to this report.