FEEDINGS, from page 1 Volunteers serve up feast
CIVIC AUDITORIUM — In an annual fete honoring today’s national holiday, thousands of people are expected to converge on the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Main Street this morning for a free Thanksgiving Day feast.
An estimated 270 turkeys have been gathered, more than 1,000 boxes of mashed potatoes are at the ready, and 2-to-3 tons of clothes will be given away, according to Lori McCreary, a film producer at Revelations Entertainment in Santa Monica and a leading volunteer organizer.
All told, thousands of homeless people, low-income families, seniors and even some students are expected to attend the 22nd annual Thanksgiving celebration sponsored by the Westside Vineyard Fellowship, a non-denominational Christian church based in West LA.
There will be live music, a petting zoo, pony rides and big bouncy chambers. There will also be free medical care, haircuts, hygiene kits, free clothes and, of course, a heap of food.
“It feels like a big party. Everyone’s there to have a good time,” said McCreary.
The party starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. It is free and open to everyone who wants to attend. Organizers contend it is one of the biggest Thanksgiving celebrations in Southern California.
About 1,200 people have already volunteered and dozens of groups have donated.
The tradition was started back in 1982 at St. Augustine’s By-the-Sea, an Episcopal Church on Fourth Street. At its peak, McCreary said about 5,000 people gathered for the Thanksgiving feast.
“It grew way too big to be there,” she said. “We were serving until 8 at night. We had to move it.”
Last year, about 2,000 people attended the annual fete.
“We hope one day we open the doors and no one’s there,” McCreary said, adding that, in the meantime, the group has never run out of food — or willing bodies wanting to lend a hand.
“Once the people volunteer, they end up staying for years and years and years,” she said. “It’s become more of a community event.”
On Wednesday, volunteers descended on the auditorium to begin setting the stage for the big bash. While Jean Holmes, June Wilkinson, Michael Parker, Carol Schneider-Yates and Judith Seklar chopped cucumbers in the kitchen, other volunteers set up chairs and tables, preparing for an estimated crowd of 3,000 this year.
In addition to the free food, clothes and blankets, officials from Cedars-Sinai and UCLA Medical Center are expected to set up a clinic for people that need medical attention.
City Councilman Ken Genser said the event is something the Santa Monica community should be proud of.
“It’s a wonderful effort,” he said. For more information, log onto www.westsidethanksgiving.org or call (310) 394-3153.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 27, 2003. Read the original PDF.