Traditionally Thanksgiving Day is a time to celebrate and be thankful for the harvest and other blessings of the past year. According to Britannica, New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “Thanksgivings,” days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.
Thanksgiving Day is not only an opportunity to show gratitude for what we have been given, but also to recognize and help those who are in need, particularly the hungry and the poor. For ways to help feed the hungry this Thanksgiving, read below about various parishes coordinating food distribution to those in need in our diocese.
St. Christopher Church, Moreno Valley:
The parish invites you to donate items needed for Thanksgiving Baskets: turkeys, ham, gravy, can of cranberries, evaporated milk, olives, can of yams, can of pumpkin, can of vegetables, and boxed potatoes.
St. Edward Catholic Church, Corona:
The young adult parishioners will be having a food drive to make food baskets for families within the community. They ask that all non-perishable items be dropped off in the parish office during office hours.
St. Paul the Apostle Church, Chino:
They are re-stocking the pantry for Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets. The parish aims to collect at least 450 of each of the following items, which would be enough to handout to the families for both holidays.
30oz Mayonnaise, 48oz cooking oil. 16oz cans of beans, cans of Chef Boyardee, 4oz cans of tuna, 48oz peanut butter, 30oz jelly, 26oz salt, 14.5oz cans of green beans, 15.25oz cans of corn, packaged spaghetti and spaghetti sauce. Online giving is also available for monetary donations by selecting the Food Pantry Fund. If you are aware of a family experiencing hardship, please contact the parish office.
St. Catherine of Alexandria Church, Riverside:
The parish invites parishioners to pick up a grocery bag with the list of food items for the Thanksgiving Food Drive to help those less fortunate within the community.
San Secondo D’Asti Church, Guasti (Ontario):
Thanksgiving Food Drive: From Oct. 8 - Nov. 17 the San Secondo D’Asti Food Pantry will be collecting food donations for Thanksgiving Baskets. Items needed are: canned yams, canned pumpkin, canned or box milk, cranberry sauce, gravy, instant mash potatoes, boxed stuffing, cooking oil, rice, beans, canned soup, etc. Donations of frozen turkeys or hams would be greatly appreciated! If you are a parishioner who would like to receive a Thanksgiving Basket, please call the Parish Office to put your name on the list.
St. Adelaide Church, Highland:
Thanksgiving basket donations needed for families in need of food for Thanksgiving. The following items may be placed in the baskets at the entrance of the church by Friday, November 10: canned green beans, canned corn, canned turkey gravy, canned cranberry sauce, canned yams, boxed stuffing mix.
The items below may be taken to the office the week before Thanksgiving, November 13-17: $20 gift cards to Stater Bros. or Albertsons for turkey, 10 lb bag of potatoes, fresh pumpkin pie, butter, tubs of Cool Whip and dinner rolls
Saint Junipero Serra Church, Phelan:
The parish’s St. Vincent de Paul society will have Thanksgiving Food Bags. Paper bags in the foyer with requests for donations of food items for Thanksgiving Baskets to be given to families in need. Please take a bag and return the food items to the church before Nov. 19. We also stapled a blue envelope on the bag if you would rather donate monetarily.
St. Anthony Church, Upland:
Boxes for food collection will be in the church beginning Oct. 28 - Nov. 12. Items Needed: $25 Gift Cards (to purchase a 15 Ib. turkey), cans of yams, green beans, creamed corn, cranberries, pineapple, cream of mushroom soup, turkey gravy, cornbread mix, instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix and brown sugar.
The parish also invites anyone who wishes to volunteer their time or contribute to this initiative in any way. Volunteers are needed on Thursday, Nov. 16 from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm to assemble the baskets. To request a Thanksgiving dinner for a family in need, please contact the parish office.
St. Patrick’s Church, Moreno Valley:
If you or anyone you know would like to help provide Thanksgiving baskets to families in need, visit the parish’s Online Giving Fund. Registered parish families may apply for a Thanksgiving Basket online.
St. Martha Church, Murrieta:
The parish is asking for help to provide turkeys for 500 local families. The parish will be shopping in bulk, which allows them to buy more for those in need. To do this, the parish asks for monetary donations to be made on November 12.