Volunteers prepare plates full of food for our guests.
See a short video on the event.
Oakland Thanksgiving Thank You (28 mb, Quicktime 7 required).
CityTeam Oakland was the site of many praises this week when volunteers made it possible for hundreds of families to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
On Monday night, hundreds of families lined up to receive a free turkey and a bag of groceries. There was excitement in the air, but the guests didn’t know all the fun that was in store for them! It began with our City Director, Mike Pounds, dressed up as “Poundsy the Clownsy” handing out lollipops and smiles throughout the line. Adults and children alike smiled wide when he came their way. Once inside, a volunteer host escorted the guests first to receive some warm carrot cake, and hot mulled apple cider or coffee. After a little something to eat, the guests were taken to the PG&E table, where bilingual representatives of the CARE program were on hand. It was great to see our Cantonese speaking guests as well as the English speaking ones getting valuable information on low-cost utility programs. After that, the host took them to get a warm coat, courtesy of One Warm Coat, then they received a turkey and bag full of groceries. Many came expecting only a turkey, but were amazed to receive stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, pie crusts, Peet’s coffee and all of these other things! All of this was done so that these families could have a traditional American Thanksgiving in their own home.Some families don’t have adequate cooking facilities, however, or are living alone and want to celebrate the holiday with others. For them, we open our doors on Thanksgiving Day for a big community dinner. The first dinner is a lunch served to our recovery family. Staff and the men in our recovery program bring their family to sit down together and thank God for all that He has done. Seated by a volunteer maitre d’, served by volunteer waiters, lit by candles with jazz playing in the background, it was a beautiful chance to see the residents feel special. The much larger meal happened at 2 pm, and it was a similar feeling. The guests were often surprised to be asked “How many in your party?” when they came in. They expected to walk through a line and get a tray of food. Instead, our volunteers tried to make it as classy and restaurant-like as possible. Families and strangers sat together, chatting, enjoying the all you can eat dinner. Over 90 volunteers and about 400 guests participated in the day, giving us something to be thankful for.
Photo gallery is below. For additional photos of the event, please visit our full event photo album here.
