Story: :: Celebrities serve Thanksgiving meals to homeless people in downtown Los Angeles
:: Los Angeles, California
:: November 27, 2024
:: Eric Grant, Executive Chef, Los Angeles Mission
“Well, for me it’s a double-edged sword. At one point, I actually found myself homeless. So, for me, it’s a very personal thing. I’m really committed to the community. I want to give back, I want to give back to society. Actually, this can happen to any of us.”
:: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hollywood producer
“It fills your heart with happiness. Today we make people’s lives just a little bit brighter, but at the same time it reminds us how many people are in trouble. And you’re here on the street. You can see that in the video. It’s heartbreaking.”
:: Alexander James Rodriguez, actor, singer
“When I feed someone and see their smile, I always feel like I’m making a difference. Even if it’s small, it’s still a big difference. And here I am. Do you see that everyone is coming together as a community? It’s actually making a huge difference in our community in Los Angeles.”
The Los Angeles Mission is located in the heart of Skid Row, providing residents with food, clothing, and care for those in need.
Eric Grant, executive chef of the Los Angeles Mission and a former homeless person himself, explained how much food he had to make to accomplish this feat.
“Our expectation is between 1,500 pounds and 4,000 pounds, so we prepared 180 gallons of gravy, 3,600 pounds of turkey, 1,000 pounds of macaroni, 1,000 pounds of collard greens and 1,000 pounds of stuffing,” he said.
Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, actors Joe Manganiello, Alexander James Rodriguez, Cedric Yarbrough, TV host Nick Cannon, politician Maxine Waters and other celebrities feed the homeless. and handing out food to the servers.
“It’s just so important,” said makeup influencer James Charles. She added, “I truly feel that Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday, and so many people have the privilege of being able to celebrate it with their friends and family and have a delicious meal on the table.” Not everyone is that lucky, and I feel like just a few hours of volunteering can actually give back to those who deserve it, and we all deserve a great holiday season. Because there is.”
“This is something special that I’ll never forget. I come here every year because the people who are fed here are so involved in everything this mission does,” Waters said. They’re very grateful people. They’re going to have a happy Thanksgiving.” Families are very happy to come here with their children and express their gratitude to them. ”