Jorge González, his wife Concepción and six of their seven children, as well as his mother-in-law and some nieces were part of the 88th Annual Thanksgiving Celebration at the Los Angeles Mission, where dozens of volunteers served 4,000 plates of hot food to the homeless and immigrant families.
Like every year, LA Mission officials, Hollywood actors and actresses, as well as politicians and government officials joined with the residents of Skid Row to create a day of love, community and renewal of spirit, before the arrival of Christmas .
“I had to wake them all up at 5:00 am, but when we arrived the line was already very long,” said Jorge, a mechanical helper originally from Tijuana, while his wife Concepción bottle-fed one-year-old Unique. .
“We come because we need money for dinner at home,” said the immigrant. “The crisis is hard. “Everything is very expensive and I only work part time.”
There is a lot of need
From the intersection at Winston and San Pedro streets, and along Wall to Fifth Street, people were registered in a registry to know the number of diners and the magnitude of the need for food among the poorest of the poor in Los Angels.
According to the Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the 2024 census of homeless people in Los Angeles is 75,312, and in the city there are 45,252 people.
“On Thanksgiving Day we have to reflect and thank God for what we have,” said Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff, who was present at the celebration.
“What LA Mission does lives in my heart and should be in everyone’s heart, plus we are in a time to help.”
When referring to the problem of thousands of homeless people, Luna considered that, instead of looking at what has not been done in 30 or 40 years to end homelessness and hunger, we must focus on what can be done.
“That’s why we’re here[on Skid Row],” he said. “There is a lot of need and we have to work harder. “I will never stop serving my neighbor.”
This year, more than 4,000 meals were served, satisfying at least one day’s hunger for thousands of Angelenos.
Opportunity to cook and serve others
From 4:00 am, both Jesús Erick Pulido and Mateo Sóstenes Morales dedicated themselves body and soul to preparing the meal, which included: 3,600 pounds of turkey; 1,000 pounds of macaroni, 90 gallons of cheese and the same number of gallons of sauce, plus 90 gallons of cranberry sauce; 1,200 pounds of kale; 3,000 Hawaiian rolls and 3,000 crunchy cherry slices.
“For me it is a very great opportunity that God allows me to serve others,” said Pulido, born in Pasadena, but raised in Nayarit, Mexico.
In addition to the pleasure of serving others, Pulido told Real America News that he also feels grateful for the opportunity received at the Los Angeles Mission, where he has been receiving help for four months for his recovery from drug addiction.
For his part, Mateo Sóstenes Morales, originally from the Sierra de Juárez, Oaxaca, an assistant in the kitchen – directed by chef Erik Grant – agreed with his friend, in the sense that God provided him with the opportunity to work for of the most needy.
“I also need help, but here, at the mission, they are helping me leave alcohol and drugs behind forever.”
Mateo Sóstenes Morales affirmed that he is committed to himself and to God “to continue giving him the effort.”
He was rescued from the streets of Los Angeles, where he lived outdoors for five years of his life, after having fallen into a severe depression due to the death of an aunt of his -when he was incarcerated-, whom he loved as if she were his mother, and to whom he could not say goodbye.
“Happy and grateful”
Troy Vaughn, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Mission, told La Opinión that in the non-profit organization people not only get food, work, housing, but also the Thanksgiving gathering with “our friends and neighbors in “Skid Row is about creating a day of love, community and renewal.”
“We do everything and that’s why we are happy,” he stressed. “We give all the glory to the Lord because we come to this place every day to serve the community and for that we are very happy and grateful.”
Vaughn acknowledged that on Skid Row there are many broken hearts due to food insecurity and homelessness, which mostly affects Latino and African American people.
“Yeah. “We are the most marginalized in our communities, and it is important for us to make sure we find a way to help as many of them as we can,” he said.
Create and build more housing
Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles and California gubernatorial candidate, marked 30 years as a volunteer serving food on Thanksgiving Day at the Los Angeles Mission.
“God, my family and my country have given me a lot and serving is the way to give something back to my community,” Villaraigosa said.
He commented that, in the face of food insecurity and the lack of safe shelter for thousands of people in the city and county of Los Angeles, “it’s not just about coming and serving food[to those in need].”
“We must ensure that our municipal, state and federal governments do everything possible to create and build more housing; ensure that homeless people who are mentally ill or addicted to drugs have the necessary services, and of course, jobs,” he said.
The pain of others moves
Rosa Hernández, who works at Blue Shields, like numerous volunteers, was in charge of directing the diners to the tables in order.
His face reflected the sadness of seeing immigrant families arrive with their children to sit at the tables and quickly finish the food they were served.
“If one cannot contribute financially, one can do so by donating their time,” he stated.
What did you think when you smiled at seeing two old people eating their plate of food?
“It made me sad, because the hunger continues and these people have nowhere to go to sleep tonight.”
His reference was about husband and wife María and Everardo González, a couple who does not have a home to sleep in tonight, according to what he found out.