Kevin Hart, Pharrell Williams, Nick Cannon and Minnie Driver were among the celebrities who picked up ladles and spatulas Wednesday to help serve Thanksgiving meals to thousands of homeless and needy individuals and families at the Los Angeles Mission.
The Thanksgiving meal is an annual tradition on Skid Row, featuring not just food, but providing attendees with blankets, hygiene kits, socks and even foot-washing.
More than 3,500 people were fed during the event.
“The real reason we do this? We want to reclaim lost lives,” mission President Herb Smith said in a statement. “We know that the road to changing a life often starts with a meal. That first taste of compassion can inspire individuals to come and see what else the Mission can do to help them recover and get off the streets.”
Chef Michael Voltaggio, a winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” helped prepared the meals, beginning at 4:30 a.m. in the mission’s kitchen. The day began with an early morning breakfast service to people staying at the mission.
A short time later, Fifth Street was closed in front of the mission so it could be transformed into an outdoor dining room.
Wells Fargo donated $50,000 to help underwrite the event, which is carried out annually by more than 500 staff and volunteers. Guests at the event also received bags of candy that was collected at Halloween by children at Suzanne Middle School.