More Than 250 Free Thanksgiving Meals Will Be Delivered

Staff and volunteers from the Pasadena Senior Center will deliver more than 250 free, traditional Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings to people 65 and older on a first-requested, first-served basis.

The meals will be delivered Wednesday, Nov. 25, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Recipients are encouraged to refrigerate the meals when they are delivered and reheat them on Thanksgiving Day. Reheating instructions will be included. The center’s own Chef Gabby will prepare roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and seasonal vegetables. Cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie will round out the meals.

Recipients do not have to be members of the Pasadena Senior Center, and there is no income criteria. There is a limit of two meals per household. To request a meal, visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org and click on Thanksgiving Dinner Delivered to Your Home or call (626) 795-4331.

The meals will be funded by a special $5,000 gift from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous to the public.

“For most families, Thanksgiving means large, multigenerational gatherings,” said Akila Gibbs, executive director of the Pasadena Senior Center. “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed that tradition for the time being, so older adults who already are experiencing isolation fatigue will have the added emotional burden of missing their families on this time-honored day. We want to help ease that loneliness and make Thanksgiving as special as possible.”

In addition to providing meals, Pasadena Senior Center staff and volunteers will call 2,000 older adults in the Pasadena area to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and assess their well-being.

A special Thanksgiving Day event from 1 to 2 p.m. via Zoom will encourage people of all ages who will be isolated that day to enjoy a drop-in social, visit with each other, share what they are cooking and/or eating, how they are getting into the spirit of Thanksgiving under the circumstances and what they are grateful for during these trying times. Visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org and click on Social Hour to register. Everyone who registers will receive a link via email to participate.

“We have been bringing people together for large gatherings on Thanksgiving and other holidays at the Pasadena Senior Center for 24 years,” Gibbs added. “During this pandemic, everyone is having to adapt to isolation at home. I am pleased and grateful that we have been able to come up with alternatives this year.”

Plans are in the works for a very special, virtual Christmas event on Dec. 25, which will be announced.

For more information about online activities and other programs and services of the Pasadena Senior Center during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org or call 626-795-4331.

The center, at 85 E. Holly St., is an independent, donor-supported nonprofit organization. Doors are open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for social services and other critical assistance to older adults in need. Masks are required inside the building, and social distancing is maintained.