Pasadena Unified Partners with Pasadena Sandwich Company and Pasadena Fire Department to Ensure Deserving Families Have a Proper Thanksgiving

Over 300 members of some 59 Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) families who are transitioning from homelessness to self-sufficiency will get a free Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings from a local restaurateur on Thanksgiving Day. Pasadena Sandwich Company, in conjunction with PUSD’s Families in Transition and the Pasadena Fire Department, will provide a family-style feast at the restaurant as part of the third annual Thanksgiving Share A Meal for PUSD families. The event honors Stephen E. Fink, the co-founder of the Pasadena Sandwich Company who believed that nobody should ever be alone on Thanksgiving.

Donations in the form of food, event volunteers and money are being accepted at the restaurant. Grab and go canned food donation bags will also be collected at the East Pasadena Smart and Final located at 3299 East Colorado Blvd. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23. Additionally, for every school-related product sold in November at www.sydneypaigeinc.com, Sydney Paige Inc. will donate another to help stuff the over 200 backpacks filled with school supplies that will be given to kids at the Share A Meal.

“We are trying to distinguish a part of Pasadena that gets forgotten,” said Meghan Fink, co-owner of the Pasadena Sandwich Company. “No matter what your background is, we want people to feel welcomed on Thanksgiving.”

On Wednesday, November 26th, at 3:00 p.m., Pasadena Firefighters and the Fink family will help prepare food and fill blessing (gift) bags for their Thanksgiving guests. Included in these bags will be gift cards, school supplies, hygiene packs and first aid kits.

PUSD’s Families in Transition office, which connects homeless and transitional students and their families with appropriate services, is also collecting donations for families in need this holiday season. Donations of canned goods, toys, games, books and grocery gift cards can be dropped off at the Families in Transition Office (Room 127) located at 351 South Hudson Avenue in Pasadena. Contact PUSD Families in Transition at (626) 396-3600 ext. 88252 for more information.