Free Holiday Dinners Offer a Good Time in Hard Times

In Lawndale, they will meet at a small soup kitchen. In Torrance, the gathering place will be a park. And in San Pedro, along the community’s gritty and historic waterfront, the site will be an old Victorian home.

Throughout the South Bay, thousands of free Thanksgiving meals will be served today to hungry and homeless men, women and children. The events, sponsored by various churches, charitable organizations and community groups, will be held throughout the day.

In many cases, organizers say, this year’s events are feeling the two-pronged sting of the nation’s current economic recession: Food donations are down, but record crowds are expected.

“Things have not been so great, so a lot of regular contributors are pulling back this year,” said Mary Proper, executive director of Beacon House, a drug and alcohol recovery program in San Pedro.

Nevertheless, she said, Beacon House will continue its 20-year tradition of providing free Thanksgiving meals to anyone who arrives at its doors between 3 and 5 p.m.

“We have never turned anyone away,” said program director Luis Lozano, who expects Beacon House to serve a record 300 meals or more at its headquarters at 10th and Beacon streets.

Similarly, one of the area’s largest Thanksgiving gatherings--the “Mama Liz” Thanksgiving Dinner in Hermosa Beach--expects to serve more meals this year than ever before, even though the economy has led to fewer donations, its organizers say.

“Someone who comes really needs to come,” said organizer Coralie Ebey, community action director of the weekly newspaper, Easy Reader.

The “Mama Liz” Thanksgiving Dinner has grown from a feast for 164 people eight years ago to more than 1,000 last year. Named for longtime Hermosa Beach restaurateur Liz Turner, the event features four hours of entertainment and plenty of food. It will be held from noon to 4 p.m. in the Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Hall, 2125 Valley Drive.

In Torrance, two Thanksgiving Day dinners are planned for the needy.

At Wilson Park, from 2,000 to 3,000 are expected to be served free meals during an all-day event organized by the Fountain of Christ Church in cooperation with other churches. American, Filipino, Japanese and Spanish food will be offered, and the event will feature music, games and children’s prizes. The park is at 2200 Crenshaw Blvd.

The festivities will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; food will be served from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 1432 Engracia Ave., also will sponsor a Thanksgiving meal, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in its church hall. Organizers expect about 100 people.

In Lawndale, the House of Yahweh soup kitchen will dish out about 1,000 turkey dinners at City Hall. The meals will begin at 11 a.m. and continue until about 1:30 p.m.

“I’ve always felt it’s a privilege to be able to do this,” said Sister Michelle, executive director of House of Yahweh. “It’s a service that goes back and forth. We help the poor, but the poor give back to us.

“We are very gifted here. God’s been good to us. The people are God’s gift to us,” she said.

Times staff writer Lisa Omphroy contributed to this story.