The Year Pasadena’s Thanksgiving Dinner in the Park Tradition Almost Didn’t Happen

For 46 years, Thanksgiving Dinner in the Park has been an important part of the Pasadena’s community of caring.

A small army of volunteers directed by hosting nonprofit Union Station Homeless Services serves up hope and hot Thanksgiving dinners to thousands of homeless men, women, children, seniors, very low-income families, and those with no place to go during the holidays.

But in 2013, the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in the Park almost didn’t happen.

That was the year a review by the Pasadena Public Health Department discovered — to the shock and dismay of many — that the decades-old tradition of dropping off home-cooked food by generous local residents violated the California Retail Food Code, which regulates how foods are produced for public consumption.

A beloved tradition and source for a large percentage of the needed food preparation was suddenly prohibited.

Liza Frias, the city’s environmental health division manager, said the nonprofit would no longer be able to accept home-cooked food from community members, as it violated the California Retail Food Code, which regulates how foods are produced for public consumption.

Since the event is held at a public park, city officials were quick to point out that the city was at risk if someone eating at the event fell ill and sued for damages.

Frias said at the time that the code requires that any food that is made available to the public must come from an approved and regulated facility. She said she discovered the violation as she was reviewing different practices in the city and added there was no way of knowing if home-cooked foods had been properly prepared and transported.

Union Station Homeless Services officials at the time said they were surprised by the “ban” on donated home-cooked meals, saying that home-prepared turkey and other food items brought by community members had been an integral part of the event from its beginnings.

Community members from all walks were upset over the ban. Many local families had built-in a holiday trip to the Dinner in the Park to deliver food to the needy as part of their Thanksgiving family tradition, and were saddened they could no longer.

Following the ban, Union Station Homeless Services announced that it could no longer accept home-cooked items on the day of the event.

Then-Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard reluctantly agreed, saying the cherished city tradition and required compliance and enforcement despite disappointments.

“I am (also) disappointed because I treasure the generosity of the people of Pasadena and I am strongly supportive of every opportunity to contribute to the needs that exist,” he said.

“I’m hoping that they will be understanding, as disappointing as it is to all of us, that this is what the law requires. The city’s failure to act on that once it’s fully appreciated at City Hall would not only be the subject of intense criticism from the public, should anyone turn out to be made ill by the dinner tomorrow, but it would extend liability to the city for its failure to act conveying the requirements of the law. If the law really is clear and strict, the city has no choice but to comply,” Bogaard said.

In a statement, Union Station Homeless Services also said the ban removed the very integral part of the event, which is people giving from their hearts and from their kitchens to feed people who are hungry and homeless.

Pasadena Public Health Department supporters said that only is that agency required to uphold the law, but the ban on donated home-cooked meals for the Thanksgiving Day dinner was a “social justice” issue. They felt that the poor and homeless should be given the same level of health protection as the more affluent members of the community.

“We believe that everyone deserves the same quality of public health protection and that’s one of the reasons why we are pretty strong in support of this. It is the California Retail Food Code that makes this requirement,” said then-Director Dr. Eric Walsh.

Dr. Walsh added that the home-cooked foods were only a small portion of the meal that is mostly made by the certified Union Station kitchen staff.

Walsh also explained that although no one had reported being sick from the event, the homeless population is a vulnerable population.

“Many of them won’t have health care. They’re also often a lot less likely to report things. You don’t want to put them in an environment where there might be more chance of food-borne illnesses,”Walsh said.

Union Station Homeless Services quickly readjusted. They stopped accepting donated home-cooked food following the health department’s order, and community members have since been encouraged to donate items from Union Station’s grocery wishlist including green beans, mushroom soup, cranberry sauce, corn cans, instant mashed potatoes, turkey or chicken gravy, Italian salad dressings and bottled water.

Today, the Thanksgiving Dinner in the Park tradition continues.
Apart from the items listed above, store-bought pies are also welcome and can be delivered to 412 S. Raymond Ave before the event or may be dropped off at Central Park on Thanksgiving morning (drop off area is on the southern parking strip of Fair Oaks just north of Del Mar Blvd.). The agency suggests buying a pie through Village Cookie Shoppe, which provides jobs to those dealing with mental illness.

Donors may also choose to give an online donation. According to Union Station Homeless Services, a $10 gift can feed four people.

This year’s Thanksgiving Dinner in the Park will be on November 23 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Central Park, corner of Del Mar Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue.

Home-cooked food is still available at Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel. The church announced that it would welcome donations of home-cooked turkey and side dishes for its two Thanksgiving dinners — one at its Our Saviour Center and another at Immanuel Church, both in El Monte.

Church organizations are exempt from the California Retail Food code, according to Frias.