Compton event celebrates community care with its annual ‘Thanksgiving in the Park’

On Thursday, November 27, the nonprofit organization Unearth and Empower Communities (UEC) will host its 9th annual “Thanksgiving in the Park,” which will serve up to 250 neighbors in need in the city of Compton.

UEC, in partnership with local community organizations, churches, small businesses and volunteers across the city, will bring the celebration to Lueders Park in Compton. In addition to serving plenty of hot meals, they will also distribute toiletry care bags to unhoused and housing-insecure neighbors throughout the city.

Sara Bomani and Barak Bomani founded the organization back in 2013. “We've been around for 12 years and I put my love of art and his love of education together in this organization,” said Sara.

UEC began as an after-school program and art camp, but it continued to grow over the years. Today, the organization has a team of 10 staff members and has expanded its offerings to include STEM and workforce development programs, all through the lens of social justice and community engagement.

For the Bomani family, the idea to host Thanksgiving at the park was inspired by their upbringing. Both grew up watching their families serve meals at homeless shelters during the holiday and witnessing turkey and free produce giveaways, which planted the seed for continuing that tradition in their own community.

“We wanted to serve a population that doesn't have the means of warming up a meal for themselves or may not have the power on right now. So it doesn't necessarily have to be someone who's unhoused, just someone who can't get a hot meal on Thanksgiving,” Sara shared. “Last year, I'd say we probably had about 50 people actually come to the park to pick up food and items. People from the apartments across the street or, down the street, and it was full families coming.”

For Sara it is important to give back to the community, especially during the holiday season. “It's always crucial because we always have people who are in need. There's always some sort of need that can be filled and so Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude and celebration. We just want to be a part of that for somebody who may not feel like they have something to be grateful for or are having a hard time,” she said. “We're here to just bless the community.

She also told CALÓ News that a lot of the times in the city of Compton the positive is “overlooked or forgotten too quickly” but during Thanksgiving she likes to turn the park into a little party for her neighbors and the people in need of a good day. “It becomes just a big celebration for the volunteers as well. It’s like a full circle, everyone is being blessed, being blessed to give, being blessed to receive, and it's just one of our core values of the organization, which is responsibility and so, we are responsible for our neighbors,” Sara said.

For those interested in getting involved, UEC is calling residents, organizations, and supporters who can contribute via the several ways listed below:

● Volunteer/Food registration: bit.ly/UECthanksgiving25

● Make a donation: givebutter.com/UECthanksgiving25

Time: 11:00 a.m.

When: Thursday, November 27, 2025.

Location: Location: Lueders Park, Compton