August 5, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Midnight Mission to Serve Thanksgiving Brunch to Homeless

The Midnight Mission will again serve Thanksgiving brunch to thousands of homeless and near-homeless men, women and children on Thursday while participants in a race in downtown are asked to assist the organization.

Entertainer Dick Van Dyke, KLOS-FM (95.5) personality Gary Moore, other celebrities and nearly 400 corporate and community volunteers are scheduled to prepare and serve food from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the 102-year-old mission on Skid Row, according to Georgia Berkovich, its director of public affairs.

“Of the many services The Midnight provides to our unique community, one of the most important is the sense of family we offer to those who often feel lost and forgotten during the holidays and other days of celebration,” Berkovich said. “Now more than ever, we need to work together to restore hope and dignity to those in need.”

Organizers of Thursday’s fourth annual Turkey Trot Los Angeles 5K/10K Run and Walk in downtown have encouraged the more than 5,000 expected participants to donate their time or money to The Midnight Mission, the race’s nonprofit partner, according to Brennan Lindner, president of Generic Events, which conducts the race.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. with a 5K race starting in front of City Hall. The course then loops up and around Grand Park, past Disney Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Runners will then head south on Spring Street until Ninth Street, where they will make a U-turn, heading north on Spring Street back to the finish line at City Hall.

The 10K race will begin at 8:45 a.m. which consists of portions of the 5K course with extra mileage on Grand Avenue and Hope and Olive streets.

A half-mile “Widdle Wobble” for children and their parents will begin at 10 a.m.

The Fred Jordan Mission will hold its annual “Traditional Thanksgiving Banquet for Poor & Homeless Children, Women and Men on Skid Row” from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Thursday.

Hundreds of volunteers will serve nearly 1 ton of roast turkey, 50 gallons of gravy, 400 pounds of green beans, 500 pounds of candied yams, 500 pounds of mashed potatoes hundreds of pounds of traditional cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce and hundreds of pumpkin pies, according to the mission’s Suzanna Choi.

Each guest will receive a family food gift bag with fresh produce, blankets, warm jackets and socks, Choi said.

In addition to the homeless, the banquet also draw working families who can’t afford to cook a Thanksgiving dinner of their own, Choi said.

Volunteers and other members of the public are asked to bring new, unwrapped $15-$20 toys that will be distributed to thousands impoverished boys and girls around Christmas. Toys can be brought to the mission through Dec. 16.

Union Station Homeless Services expects to serve 2,000 plates of food at its annual Dinner in the Park at 11 a.m. at Central Park in Pasadena, continuing a tradition that began in 1972.

Meal recipients will include individuals and families experiencing homelessness and poverty, senior citizens, those who are alone or unable to afford a holiday meal, according to Union Station CEO John Brauer.

While Thanksgiving is the day in the U.S. when the most food is consumed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is also the largest running day of the year.

A record 901,753 runners completed races in 2015, according to Running USA, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the status and experience distance running and racing in the U.S.

Other Thanksgiving races in Los Angeles County include the 5K Tofurky Trot at 9 a.m. at the Rose Bowl, described by organizers as a great opportunity “to enjoy the company of fellow plant eaters and highlight the benefits of plant-based diets on this largely carnivorous holiday”; and the Burbank YMCA Turkey Trot.

The first official Thanksgiving was held in the Virginia Colony on Dec. 4, 1619. The traditional meal stems from one held in 1621 by the Wampanoag Indians and the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Continental Congress issued the nation’s first official Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1777. President George Washington issued a national Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789, his first year in office.

Washington declared a national Thanksgiving holiday for the newly ratified Constitution, so people may thank God for “affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness” and for having “been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, particularly the national one now lately instituted.”

The first four presidents combined to issue six Thanksgiving proclamations. However, the tradition ended in 1815. Abraham Lincoln reinstituted it in 1863 in an attempt to heal the divisions caused by the Civil War. Every president since has made an official Thanksgiving proclamation.

 

450807555

Related Posts

Cary Grant’s Former Beverly Hills Estate Hits Market for $77.5M

August 3, 2025

August 3, 2025

Rebuilt by His Widow, the Home Now Offers Sweeping Views Once owned by Hollywood legend Cary Grant, a Beverly Hills...

LA Housing Permits Rebound in Q2: Wildfire Rebuild and Fast-Tracked Reviews Spur Modest Growth

August 3, 2025

August 3, 2025

New Data Shows a 37% Quarterly Jump in Residential Permits, Long-Term Uncertainty Looms Residential development in Los Angeles picked up...

Federal Court Upholds Stay on Trump-Era Immigration Raids in California

August 3, 2025

August 3, 2025

Detention Horror Stories and Legal Pressure Keep Feds at Bay  A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a temporary order...

Despite Billion-Dollar Fortune, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Double Down on Real Estate Debt

August 3, 2025

August 3, 2025

Superstar Pair Is Now Paying Over $637,000 per Month in Mortgage and Taxes Music power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z have...

Two LA County Deputies Charged in Off-Duty Scheme Tied to Crypto ‘Godfather’

August 2, 2025

August 2, 2025

Deputies Accused of Abusing Law Enforcement Powers for Beverly Hills Mogul One Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy pleaded guilty,...

Metro Releases Draft Environmental Report for Sepulveda Transit Project, Public Comment Now Open

August 2, 2025

August 2, 2025

Six Route Alternatives Under Review for Valley-To-Westside Connection The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has released its Draft...

National Night Out Returns to Beverly Hills With Police Demos, Kids’ Activities, and DJ Music

August 1, 2025

August 1, 2025

Beverly Hills Police and Fire Departments Invite Public to Family-Friendly Night Out  The City of Beverly Hills will transform the...

City Installs Crosswalks In Sawtelle District After Residents Paint Their Own

August 1, 2025

August 1, 2025

Los Angeles Begins Official Safety Upgrades Near Stoner Park City crews began installing official crosswalks Friday near Stoner Park in...

HARD Summer Returns This Weekend With New Sound Strategy After 2024 Noise Complaints

August 1, 2025

August 1, 2025

Sold-Out EDM and Hip-Hop Festival Runs Saturday and Sunday at Hollywood Park The HARD Summer music festival is set to...

Trump Administration Freezes $200M in UCLA Research Funds Over Student Protests

August 1, 2025

August 1, 2025

UCLA Says Freeze Harms Life-Saving Research With No Connection to Stated Reason Donald Trump’s administration has blocked $200 million in...

LAPD Honors Sgt. Shiou Deng as ‘Gold Standard of Selflessness’ at Memorial Service

July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

Veteran Officer Remembered After Being Killed While Aiding Crash Victims in Brentwood Family, colleagues, and fellow officers gathered Thursday morning...

1,000 Additional National Guard Troops Withdrawn From LA as Federal Presence Continues to Shrink

July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

National Guard Presence in Los Angeles Slashed Again Amid Ongoing Rollback Roughly an additional 1,000 National Guard troops have been...

Luxury Watches Stolen From Keanu Reeves Recovered in Chile, To Be Returned to Actor

July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

Six Rolex Watches Worth Over $120,000 Were Seized in Santiago Police Raid Six high-end watches stolen from actor Keanu Reeves’...

Aging Mindfully: Zen-Inspired Senior Living Takes Shape in Simi Valley

July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

Two Zen-inspired senior living communities are embracing the reality of aging — consciously. Ensō Village, open since 2023 in Sonoma County,...

The Getty Unveils Trellis Bar & Lounge: Sip Art-Inspired Cocktails with a Gorgeous View

July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025

New Alfresco Experience Offers Seasonal Drinks, Light Bites, and Stunning Architecture Visitors to the Getty Center can now unwind with...