This Thanksgiving season, our blessings were bountiful. Every year, our Boys & Girls Club hosts the annual Thanksgiving at the Club event where approximately 700 individuals enjoy a fully-cooked, family-style Thanksgiving dinner. This year, our Club continued the tradition but with safety as our highest priority.
Thanksgiving Dinner at the Club this year was presented by Stadium Nissan, and not only did we provide an in-person dinner service for a limited number of families, we also provided a complete take-home Thanksgiving dinner for families unable to celebrate with us due to the limited in-person capacity.
Families from our partner school districts in Orange, Newport-Mesa, and Santa Ana were provided a turkey box filled with pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and a few extra fixings to make their Thanksgiving meal special.
Support from our community partners and volunteers made an impact in a total of 360 families this Thanksgiving! Through the drive-thru distributions, we served
- 80 families in Costa Mesa
- 84 families in Orange
- 144 families in Santa Ana
During our sit down Thanksgiving Dinner at the Club, 52 families were provided dinner and surprised with a special guest – Derwin James from the Los Angeles Chargers. He brought along some of his friends from My Healthy Penguin and provided additional meals for our families.
In this season of thanks, we are grateful for every individual, partner, and volunteer that supported our Thanksgiving events. Sponsors include:
- Presenting Sponsor: Stadium Nissan
- Silver Sponsors: First American Trust, SoCal Gas Company
- Community Sponsor: ServiceFirst Restoration
We had over 70 volunteers for this year’s event, some of which include: Antis Roofing and Waterproofing, Culligan Water, Fitness on Fire, Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa, PIMCO, Pacific Life Foundation, Stadium Nissan, City of Santa Ana Councilmember Jessie Lopez, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast board members Audrey Schneider and Ronnie Coffie.
On behalf of the more than 9,000 youth we serve, THANK YOU to every supporter, partner, and volunteer who has helped contribute to our Club’s growth and success. If you were unable to join us for the Thanksgiving Dinner at the Club there are still ways for you to support and increase your year-end charitable giving.
To continue your impact, you can support our upcoming event – Winter Wonderland. Please consider volunteering, making a donation, or sharing the event with your friends or loved ones to support local children and families this holiday season. For more information, contact David Blair.