Southern Californians gather to celebrate Thanksgiving -- and to give assistance
Charities and other groups serve turkey dinners to the homeless and needy. At the San Gabriel Mission, worshipers at a morning Mass give thanks in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
The city's expanding masses of poor and needy are arriving early today to take advantage of numerous Thanksgiving Day celebrations at churches, charities and work-for-food distribution sites, as daily hardships are temporarily suspended for feasts of plenty.
Live gospel music serenaded more than 2,000 of the inner-city destitute in the blocked-off streets around downtown's Fred Jordan Mission. Volunteers began serving the traditional fare of turkey, candied yams and fruit punch at 10 a.m. -- early enough that the needy could come back for a second meal later in the day, said Willie Jordan, the widow of the mission's founder.
There's been an increase in the number of women and children joining the once predominantly population of male street people. But for one and all, "it's just like a wonderful block party," Jordan said as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, carrying a tray, danced among the diners at the outdoor tables.
At the San Gabriel Mission, worshipers attended a Thanksgiving morning Mass and gave thanks in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. In a special ceremony, parishioners carried the bread they will break at dinner to the altar for a holiday blessing.
In Hollywood, the Food on Foot organization, which aims to draw the homeless into a work-for-food rescue program, was bracing for a massive convergence on the holiday meal and handout of backpacks and bus tokens.
Organization founder Jay Goldinger said if they run out before the line of needy ends, the overflow crowd will be given coupons for Sunday. That's when the area's homeless usually gather at the Gay & Lesbian Center on North Schrader Boulevard for a meal and, in exchange, to collect trash for the program's sponsoring businesses.
"We have a 90% success rate once we get someone off the street, and the main reason is that we operate as a business," said Goldinger, citing an ancient proverb: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.
Williams is a Times staff writer.
carol.williams@latimes.com
