Port of Los Angeles Donates 2,000 Turkeys To Families In Need

LOS ANGELES, CA — Thousands of needy families will celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey feast, this year thanks to the Port of Los Angeles.

Port officials announced Monday the donation of 2,000 turkeys to people in need and 300 prepared holiday meals delivered to local homeless shelters.

"Families across the Los Angeles region, including our local Harbor community, have endured many unforeseen challenges in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic," Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said. "We hope these donations made possible by CMA CGM will bring a bit of joy and comfort to our community as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches."

The port has played in a critical role in the region's coronavirus response with supply chain logistics. That same talent for matching supplies with need is also being used to help feed the needy this difficult year.

Seroka also serves as the Los Angeles chief logistics officer and leads Logistics Victory Los Angeles, the city's COVID-19 response initiative. The port and its police department partnered with CMA CGM Group, a global shipping and logistics company, which donated the Thanksgiving turkeys to Los Angeles families over the weekend.

Los Angeles Port Police and Logistics Victory volunteers coordinated the distribution of 18-pound frozen turkeys to designated families in San Pedro and Wilmington. The Los Angeles Police Department also distributed turkeys to families throughout South Los Angeles, port officials said.

The donation of 300 meals will go to homeless shelters in the Harbor area on Thanksgiving Day at the veteran-operated Wilmington A Bridge Home, the Salvation Army's Sunrise Shelter in San Pedro and the San Pedro A Bridge Home operated by Harbor Interfaith. The meals will be hand-delivered by Los Angeles Port Police.

"CMA CGM has a long tradition of giving back to the communities we serve," said Ed Aldridge, the president of CMA CGM America. "There is no doubt that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how all of us will experience Thanksgiving this year, and while it remains an uncertain time, the CMA CGM Group is honored to help Los Angeles families celebrate this important holiday."

The donation by CMA CGM to the Los Angeles area is part of a larger charitable food distribution initiative by the France-based company, which will feed more than 35,000 Americans across the nation over the Thanksgiving holiday, port officials said.

SEE ALSO: Millions Made Hungry By Pandemic Could Include Your Neighbor

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.