Thousands of homeless people will be served Christmas Eve meals and children will receive toys from Santa Thursday courtesy of the Los Angeles Mission.
Celebrities are expected to be on hand to help serve food during the mission’s annual feast, which is being planned and prepared by noted local chef Ben Ford.
Ford, the son of actor Harrison Ford, will be on hand before dawn to begin preparing the meal, while volunteers wrap gifts that will be distributed to children in a Santa’s Workshop that will be set up in the mission at 303 E. Fifth St.
Among the celebrities expected to help serve meals are Emmy Rossum, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Tim Matheson, Niecy Nash, Garcelle Beauvais, Tommy Davidson, Kate Linder, Jacob Hopkins, Johnny Ortiz and Pat O’Brien.
The food preparation will begin at 4:30 a.m., with breakfast served to the mission’s overnight guests at 5 a.m. The holiday meal service will begin at 11 a.m., with Santa distributing toys a short time later.
—City News Service