Costa Mesa retailer opens arms, restaurant for Boys & Girls Clubs’ Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving spirit can be summoned to any table, as local families learned this week when collaborators from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast and IKEA Costa Mesa served up more than 300 holiday meals.

Temporarily closing its on-site restaurant to customers Wednesday evening, the Swedish retailer set its tables for Newport-Mesa Unified School District students and their families.

Unlike a buffet or cafeteria-style meal, two separate sit-down dinners offered choices ranging from turkey with all the fixings to IKEA’s signature Swedish meatballs, veggie medallions and lingonberry jam, served up by volunteers.

Families walk into IKEA during the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast Thanksgiving dinner at the Costa Mesa store on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Kristle Duran, chief operating officer for the Irvine nonprofit, said while the two organizations have partnered before, including a Thanksgiving feast at the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Santa Ana site, this is the first time a retailer has hosted such an occasion.

“The idea is to alleviate that stress that the holidays can bring,” Duran said, describing families in which parents can work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. “We really wanted this to be a first-class dining experience for families.”

In addition to dinner, guests were treated to a performance by Mariachi Folklore and fall-themed family photo portraits, printed on site, to take as keepsakes. Transportation to and from the event was also provided.

Lucy Aguilar smiles as her order is taken during the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast Thanksgiving dinner at the Costa Mesa IKEA.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Vanessa Pasillas, an IKEA loyalty manager who works at the Costa Mesa store, said the company creates new goals each year to drive its philanthropy and, as such, is focusing on serving families through challenging times.

“We’ve really been thinking about how do we target and open up what we call our home to families who really need it, especially during the holiday season,” she said Wednesday.

“We want them to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of family, and also to feel welcomed. This is really to say, we value you, we appreciate you and we care about you — I hope that’s the feeling they walk away with today.”

The Thanksgiving-style meal served by the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast at the Costa Mesa IKEA.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)