Union Station Distributes Hundreds of Thanksgiving Meal Boxes to Those In Need

On the heels of receiving a $5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund—the largest private grant in the nonprofit’s nearly 50-year history—volunteers at the Raymond Avenue headquarters of Union Station Homeless Services were busy on Wednesday morning, packing and loading boxes of Thanksgiving dinner preparations into cars for families in need to cook and serve next week.

The organization distributed Thanksgiving “All the Fixings” Meal Supply Boxes for families in need who can cook their holiday dinner at home.  The meal boxes held the fixings for a complete Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, and pie.

Dozens of volunteers from SoCal Gas and other organizations distributed more than 300 boxes of food to those in need Wednesday.

According to Chief  Development and Communications Officer Dana Bean, Union Station Homeless Services will serve hundreds of  Thanksgiving meals in three ways this year:

• Thanksgiving “All the Fixings” Meal Supply Boxes a week before the holidays for clients to cook at home, which were given out Wednesday

• Thanksgiving “Prepared Meals” for reheating at home, the day before Thanksgiving, on November 24

• The traditional dinners served to those in need on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, at the Adult Center, Family Center and Centennial Place.

Officials said the demand jumped this year. Union Station will be distributing an estimated 4,500 meals this holiday season.