Local
Community groups reach out with early Thanksgiving dinner
By: Kaitlyn Funk
Special to The Examiner
November 27, 2008
 |
| Brian Stecker, left, and Diana Perez-Reyes, center, volunteer their time at the Latin American Youth Center in Colombia Heights to help give out a free thanksgiving dinner. (Andrew Harnik/Examiner ) |
Instead, Khitasha attended a Thanksgiving celebration Tuesday with her “second family” at the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights, a multicultural, community-based organization whose mission is to support youth and their families.
“This is my Thanksgiving dinner,” said Khitasha, who has lived in the center’s girl’s home for a year and praised the program for providing her with “lots of support.”
“It gets people together. That’s what Thanksgiving is about,” said Virginia Gonzalez, a 16-year-old who has participated in educational programs provided by the youth center.
In addition to its 35th annual dinner, the center gave away more than 100 turkeys and Thanksgiving baskets to local families, although “we always have more people that we’d like to give the baskets to,” Director Lori Kaplan said.
“I think it’s great because a lot of families don’t have Thanksgiving dinner because they don’t have the money for it,” Khitasha said.
While food donations are critical to ensuring a happy Thanksgiving for families who have been struggling during the economic meltdown, a significant number of children in the District do not have families to celebrate with.
“Many of the kids here tonight will have another Thanksgiving dinner with their families [today],” Kaplan said. “Some may not.”
A few miles away, volunteers and young people from Sasha Bruce, a nonprofit that provides shelter and support for homeless and at-risk youth in the District, gathered for its annual Pre-Thanksgiving celebration as well. The organization encourages the youth to invite family and friends, which creates the warm Thanksgiving gathering Virginia said is the most significant aspect of the holiday.
“The dinner has a family-like atmosphere and is filled with laughter and fun,” said George Johnson, director of the Sasha Bruce Home.
Sasha Bruce will provide another Thanksgiving dinner tonight for the children who live at the shelter and don’t have family to celebrate with.
You can observe their non-verbal appreciation, Johnson said.
“They have a sense of being around others who care.”
