St. Monica Catholic Church dishes out the tryptophan in pre-Thanksgiving Day dinner
DOWNTOWN The holidays got a little bit tastier for the Westside’s poor and hungry on Wednesday.
St. Monica Catholic Church held its traditional Thanksgiving Dinner for the Needy — a pre-Thanksgiving Day production dating back 28 years, bringing together more than 400 volunteers to fill the stomachs of about 800 people.
“The dinner was superb,” said Joy Brown. “I always try to come here every year.”
The Catholic parish’s auditorium was transformed into a holiday dining area, the tables covered with Thanksgiving-themed ornaments created by the church’s elementary school students. The room buzzed with Thanksgiving chatter, volunteers conversing with guests, some of whom have become familiar faces to the volunteers over the years.
“I enjoy the guests’ warmth and thankfulness,” said Rick McGeagh, a former parishioner who has volunteered for the dinner for the past 17 years.
In 1979, the church’s free Thanksgiving feast was one of the first community holiday dinners held in the city, initially attracting elderly people that didn’t want to spend the holidays alone. The make-up of the guests has changed over the years
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 22, 2007. Read the original PDF.