Thousands of people received free turkeys and Thanksgiving dinner fixings Tuesday at a variety of giveaways, most notably at the annual charitable event organized by the E.J. Jackson Foundation in South Los Angeles, where thousands of people stood in line for hours to receive food boxes.
Roughly 10,000 boxes of food were being given away during the 32nd annual event sponsored by Jackson Limousine Service founder E.J. Jackson. The line of people heading into the Jackson lot at 3669 W. Slauson Ave. stretched across several blocks.
“I have a whole family to feed with this, a whole family — my mom, my father, my in-laws, my cousins, everybody. The whole family. And I’m so thankful for this day,” Dajahki Underwood told ABC7 as she waited in line.
Another person in line, Warren Enoch, told the station he would be eating bologna sandwiches without the giveaway.
“Thank you, Jackson,” he said. “I’m going to have turkey sandwiches all month long now.”
According to the foundation, it has given away more than 415,000 turkey dinners over the years. It also traditionally attracts local elected officials and celebrities who help prepare the food boxes and distribute them.
Elsewhere, the Inner-City Games LA and Hollenbeck Youth Center held their 33rd annual turkey giveaway, handing out about 500 turkeys and dinner fixings to inner-city families. Some of the funding for the giveaway at 2015 E. First St. was provided by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission will hold its 15th annual Family Thanksgiving Feast at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys tonight, serving about 500 people.
The nonprofit group PVJOBS distributed free turkeys to residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the group’s offices at 4112 S. Main St. in South Los Angeles.
—City News Service