As the coronavirus pandemic threatens to upend Thanksgiving plans in the Coachella Valley, the Indio Senior Center announced Friday that it will be giving away free pies next week in hopes of retaining some semblance of holiday cheer.

Seniors 55 years and older may stop by the center on Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to receive apple and pumpkin pies at the drive-thru event.

The event is aimed at replacing the center’s annual Thanksgiving feast, which typically brings local seniors together who can not spend the holiday with their families. The feast was canceled this year due to the pandemic.

“This Thanksgiving will be especially lonely for our seniors, and while we can’t recreate the feast for them, we wanted them to know we are thinking of them,” senior center director Argelia Jimenez said.

Staff members from the Indio Teen Center will be on hand Monday morning to hand out the 520 pies earmarked the occasion.

The pies were donated by local residents, and the Vallarta Supermarkets location in Indio.

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