Community leaders carve turkeys for Union Station Homeless Services’ Dinner in the Park–a tradition almost cancelled this year

With aprons on and knives in hands, city officials and community leaders gathered at the Pasadena Convention Center on Monday, Nov. 25, to slice into golden-brown turkeys for Union Station Homeless Service’s “Dinner In the Park” program—a scene that almost didn’t happen this year.

Just weeks ago, this cherished Thanksgiving tradition was on the brink of cancellation due to a critical shortage of donations.

But thanks to an overwhelming display of community support, the event came back to life, allowing Union Station to distribute more than 400 turkeys to people in need last week, Union Station Homeless Services Vice President of Development Mario Galeano said.

The nonprofit is now preparing hot meals to serve individuals staying in their facilities and community members seeking a warm, to-go meal Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“But we’ve had a tremendous response of donations from our community that have allowed us to be able to meet the need,” Galeano said.

Since the beginning of last week, Union Station has received more than 700 turkeys, bringing it closer to its goal of 750 turkeys, to help serve more than 6,000 meals during the two-week program, according to nonprofit officials.

Much of the support came through in-kind donations from community members eager to help. On average, 70 boxes arrived daily, filled with items purchased through Union Station’s Amazon and Target wishlists, which were tailored to meet the program’s needs, officials said.

David Sensente, manager of Union Station’s in-kind donations, said he has been getting 10-20 calls per day since the organization put out an urgent call for action.

“For right now, the items that we need the most are just pies and stuffing, but besides that, I think it’s looking pretty good. I mean, we got a huge response from the community, to be honest,” he said. “That was great.”

As for the turkey carving itself, Galeano credited the Pasadena Convention Center for its continued support in preparing the meals.

“So, with the Convention Center always stepping in year after year, it’s an amazing help to help us cook several hundred turkeys in the time that we need, and cook them well,” he said.

This turkey-carving event, now in its 12th year, brings city officials and representatives from local organizations together to prepare meals for the “Dinner in the Park” program.

Participants included Pasadena Councilmember and Pasadena Center Operating Company Board Chair Tyron Hampton, Union Station Homeless Services Board Member Deserae Jones, Sodexo Live! Regional Executive Chef JC Pulido, Sodexo Live! General Manager Christina Sherwood, Pasadena Center Operating Company (PCOC) CEO Michael Ross and Galeano.

All together, Pasadena Convention Center and its food and beverage provider Sodexo Live!, cooked and carved 250 turkeys to support the program, officials said.

“We look forward to this event each year during the holiday season,” Ross said in a statement. “We appreciate Union Station Homeless Services’ commitment to the Pasadena community and the essential support it provides. It’s an honor to collaborate with them to put a warm meal on the table for those experiencing food insecurity.”

The turkeys will help feed several thousands of meals, either as reheatable meals for families to take home or as sit-down meals for people who want to swing by the Adult Center, located at 412 S. Raymond Avenue.

Starting Tuesday, Nov. 26, Union Station will start serving Thanksgiving lunches to participants at each of its 16 facilities, which span from Eagle Rock and El Sereno to as far as the Pomona area, Galeano said.

On Wednesday, Nov. 27, the nonprofit will offer hot meals to those in need, which are available for pick-ups or as a sit-down option at its Adult Center.

Galeano anticipates serving 500 meals Tuesday and a little over 1,000 more on Wednesday.

The festivities will continue on Thursday, Nov. 28, with Thanksgiving dinners served at each of Union Station’s locations.

In addition, on Wednesday, staff will deliver meals to individuals and families across the San Gabriel Valley who don’t have transportation or are otherwise unable to visit the distribution sites, he said.

For more information about the program and direction for donations, please visit: https://ushs.org/dinner-in-the-park