Salvation Army in Pasadena Mobilized for Socially Distanced Thanksgiving Meal Distribution

Pandemic or not, the Salvation Army in Pasadena is rallying its troops in preparation to deliver more than 400 hot Thanksgiving meals to community members in need on Thursday, representatives said.

A total of 68 volunteers plan to help deliver the meals, including 19 Pasadena police officers and three-dozen Tournament of Roses members, said Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle Corps Director of Social Services Jhoana Hirasuna.

“As of right now, we have 412 meals scheduled to be delivered,” Hirasuna said.

“This is a lot of meals and we are very fortunate to have the support of the Pasadena Police Department and many other volunteers to deliver all the meals,” she said.

In past years, volunteers arrived at the Salvation Army facility en masse and headed out to have all the food delivered before 10:30 a.m., Hirasuna said.

“However, this year in order to avoid having a large gathering, we will give all the volunteers appointment times to come to pick up the meals,” she explained.

“We, of course, want everyone to stay safe and practice social distancing. However, we also encourage volunteers to take a minute to wish the seniors a happy Thanksgiving and engage with them safely at a distance,” said Hirasuna. “Many of the seniors are lonely and will not be seeing any family for the holiday.”

More information on the Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle Corps is available online at pasadena.salvationarmy.org/pasadena_tabernacle_corps.