November 17, 2015 -- Thousands of Santa Monica’s homeless and needy will gather for Thanksgiving celebrations on the Westside this year, with festivities that include the traditional turkey meal -- with all the fixings -- as well as free clothing, blankets, toiletries, haircuts and even a carnival for children.

The big annual events at the VA’s campus on the Westside and St. Monica Catholic Community in Santa Monica rely entirely on volunteers to run them -- and on community members to donate financially or to bring provisions, organizers said.

“We rely on you for every item,” said organizers of the Thanksgiving festivities at the VA’s Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System campus on the Westside.

On the wanted list, even at this late date: Donations of hundreds of turkeys and everything from boxes of Stovetop stuffing to home baked or store-bought (but not frozen) pumpkin pies, as well as clothing and stuffed animals for children.

In previous decades, Santa Monica’s homeless and needy populations gathered for Thanksgiving at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The 3,000-seat venue attracted as many as 2,000 people for the event, which it had hosted since 1982. In addition to a turkey dinner, those at the gathering could receive such basic necessities as clothing or even haircuts.

But the 55-year-old auditorium closed in 2012 for massive renovations, and officials haven’t been able to find a City-run location to replace it for the Thanksgiving celebration.

“There aren’t any venues that are large enough,” said Jessica Cusick, the City’s cultural affairs manager.

Setareh Yavari, the City’s human services manager, said the Civic Auditorium might not have been able to keep up with growing popularity of the Thanksgiving event.
“I think they were going to outgrow us,” she said.

She added that the big Thanksgiving gathering for the needy on the VA’s Westside campus turned out to be an effective replacement.
“It’s a great celebration,” she said.

Affluent as it is, Santa Monica has large populations of homeless individuals and those in desperate financial need.

The City’s 2015 homeless census counted 738 persons, down slightly from the previous year due in part to renovations at housing shelters.

Still, those living on the streets accounted for 402 people, a 16 percent jump, while those living in vehicles or encampments jumped by 28 percent.

Those living in shelters rose to 396 people, up 15 percent from the previous year.
With the Civic Center closed, Thanksgiving celebrations for the needy in recent years have been left to religious or community-based organizations.

On Wednesday, November 25, St. Monica Catholic Community will host its 36th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for an expected 1,000 guests.

The dinner is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and served family-style in Cantwell Auditorium on the St. Monica campus. The entrance is from the corner of 7th Street and Washington Boulevard.

It will be followed by a “boutique” with free clothing, blankets, sleeping bags and toiletries.

Organizers of the dinner are looking for about 700 volunteers to help plan, shop, set up, cook and serve, collect and distribute donated items and to clean up.

Most volunteers are needed for the day of the event, although some will be available for days and evenings leading up to the event. Volunteers, however, must sign up in person by November 21 and November 22 at the Duval Center after all Masses.

More information can be obtained by calling Delis Alejandro at 310-566-1530 or at the event’s website, at http://stmonica.net/thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System is hosting a sit-down Thanksgiving dinner at its Westside campus on Wilshire Boulevard off the I-405 freeway. A crowd of at least 1,000 is expected.

“We bring together an inter-faith collection of groups and individuals in a wonderful celebration of Thanksgiving,” the event’s organizers say on its website, http://www.westsidethanksgiving.org/index.html.

Veterans are especially welcome, but the event is open to “everyone -- students, singles, low-income families, seniors and those who are homeless,” the website says.
Dinner is between 11a.m. and 3 p.m.

This event alone will need 300 cooked but unstuffed turkeys (for health reasons, follow the cooking recipe included on the site), to be delivered between noon Wednesday and 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

The list of perishables also includes 600 pumpkin pies, which should be brought between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday.

Non-perishables needed include 1,000 boxes of Stovetop stuff mix, 250 boxes of instant mashed potatoes, 200 large cans of green beans and turkey gravy, 240 large cans of cranberry sauce, 200 pounds of coffee, 350 gallons of bottled water and 500 juice boxes for children.

Clothing of all kinds, either new or in good used condition are needed, including men’s pants and socks and medium-sized stuffed animals in new or mint condition, officials said. The drop-off sites are in Los Angeles, Culver City and Santa Monica and can be found on the website.

Santa Monica-based OPCC, the Westside’s biggest nonprofit group for the needy, will celebrate Thanksgiving with a luncheon for about 200 of its shelter clients.
Angela Preston, a public relations spokesperson for OPCC, said she wishes the organization could expand its Thanksgiving celebration, “Give Thanks and Gobble,” to others. But it just can’t afford that. Our resources are pretty thin,she said.