With Thanksgiving near, Schwarzenegger lends a hand

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As Thanksgiving has approached, the Salvation Army in Compton has been overwhelmed with requests for turkeys from families that cannot afford to buy them.

But the organization has been hit hard by the same drop in donations that has plagued charities across the country this year. Capt. Ezekiel Guevara said he started the week with just one turkey in his freezer, far short of the 150 he was able to hand out last year, and nowhere near the 500 he hoped to give to needy families this year.

Guevara’s story made the local news. Soon afterward, he got a call from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“I was really surprised to hear his voice,” Guevara said before launching into his best Schwarzenegger impersonation. “I understand you got a problem.”

By that time, Guevara told Schwarzenegger, he was 140 turkeys short of his goal of 500. The governor wrote a check for 240 additional turkeys “to make sure they didn’t run out,” said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear.

For the last decade, the governor has donated turkeys to the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Boyle Heights. The weak economy has limited local supermarkets’ ability to donate turkeys to the center and other charities in the area, so the governor has upped his contribution over the last two years.

“When he read the ABC item, he said, ‘We have to get these guys some birds, too,’” McLear said.

‘There are a lot of happy people having a happy Thanksgiving,’ Guevara said. ‘Many people in our community made possible a real Thanksgiving. We have served over 600 families already.’

Guevara said the Compton Salvation Army will serve a free hot meal Thursday to more than 500 people. “It’s open to everybody who wants to come,” he said.

-- Anthony York in Sacramento