Pasadena Jaycees and Friends in Deed to Provide Thanksgiving Meals for Families

Help them fill these boxes with a contribution. – Courtesy photo / Facebook, @PasadenaJaycees

With the goal of giving 375 hungry families all the food they need to cook a Thanksgiving meal in their own home, the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) is holding its annual Operation Gobbler funds and food drive. This marks the 32nd year of making Thanksgiving meals at home possible for families of lower income in the area.

In partnership with Friends in Deed, whose mission includes reducing poverty and homelessness in the Pasadena area, the Jaycees, a volunteer and leadership training organization, are currently seeking both food and monetary donations for families in need throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

Pre-sorted bags of food, along with a turkey, will be distributed to families on Sunday, Nov. 24 at Friends in Deed (44 E. Washington Blvd.). Families must sign up with Friends in Deed in advance.

“I appreciate the Pasadena Jaycees Op Gobbler turkey program at Friends in Deed,” says Elisia Farmer, a client of Friends in Deed. She continues, “While my federal disability income may increase slightly, my rent and living expenses increase more. If I include personal and household items, auto repair and gasoline, I am negative month after month.  I’ve cut back everywhere that I can. I shop at used stores, wear hand-me-downs and visit the PCC school of beauty for my hair. The cost of living has far exceeded my income, so an item as simple as a turkey is unaffordable for me. Thanks to the Pasadena Jaycees and Friends in Deed, I can prepare a Thanksgiving meal for my children, grandchildren, and mother. It is a time that I truly give thanks for what I am grateful for: spending time with my family.”

To make this all possible, food drives will be held at grocery stores in the community the first three weekends in November, and Pasadena Jaycee members and student interns will collect non-perishable donations, as well as monetary contributions. To learn more about making a donation or supporting the project, please visit pasadenajaycees.org/opgobbler.

The Pasadena Jaycees began in 1929 and have been a volunteer and leadership training organization for people aged 21 to 40 ever since. For more information about joining or about any of the Jaycees’ projects, please visit www.pasadenajaycees.org or email info@pasadenajaycees.org.

Friends in Deed is an interfaith organization that provides supportive services to meet basic human needs, so our homeless and at-risk neighbors can rebuild their lives.

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