Dinner with a side of bonding at an interim housing facility during their Thanksgiving celebration

“Maybe next year I can celebrate [Thanksgiving] in my own home,” David said. 

He was one of the approximately 100 people who received a Thanksgiving meal at The Village, an interim housing complex in Skid Row that provides resources, stability and an arts program for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. 

David is one of the individuals who has been at The Village the longest, residing in the interim housing facility since January but hoping to be placed into permanent housing soon. “That’s my wish going into next year,” he said as he enjoyed his mac and cheese and apple pie. “This is so good and I’m so grateful,” he said. 

The meal distribution is part of theGive Thanks and Gobble initiative, which brings warm Thanksgiving meals to housing-insecure or homeless members of the community who are connected to or live in any of The People's Concern's 14 interim housing sites.

The People Concern, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles County, provides services to individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty and other hardships like mental and physical illness, abuse and addiction. The organization overlooks interim housing facilities in South Central L.A., Lancaster, Santa Monica and Skid Row, among others locations. 

Karina Abarca, director at The Village of the People Concern, said Give Thanks and Gobble is one of the most anticipated and busiest times for the staff. “Many of our clients at The Village are in the situation where they're experiencing homelessness, and they may not have necessarily had anywhere to go for the holiday,” she said. “Because of that, we take the time to make sure we [provide] them an event like this.”

From case managers and cooks to the volunteers serving the food, Abarca said the event takes a village to be executed, but it's worth it every year. She said the meal distribution is more than just a meal; it's also a special time for bonding. 

“It gives an opportunity for people to come together, which does not happen as often,” she said. “They gather around the table, share meals and talk about their stories. They are taking this opportunity to get to know one another and it just really highlights the bonding, which is important because, from what I’ve gathered, many people believe they're alone in their journey and that is not true. It’s very beautiful to know they have family within one another.” 

Rodrigo Gutierrez traveled from Boyle Heights to Skid Row to receive a Thanksgiving meal. Although he is not living at The Village, he found out about the event through his case manager. 

He is currently staying at theGuadalupe Homeless Project (GHP), out of Dolores Mission Church, which served 124 men in 2024. Before leaving, he sat, simply enjoying the room full of people and noise. “I had a wonderful time,” he said, before thanking each volunteer. 

Edgar Aguilar, external communications manager of The People Concern, said Give Thanks and Gobble began 13 years ago as an initiative of the Montgomery family of Santa Monica. At that time, 17-year-old Skye Montgomery organized the first event at the organization’s Cloverfield site for her Girl Scout Gold Award. 

“One of her projects was to provide services to the community and she opted to make a Thanksgiving feast for our Cloverfield interim housing location. [The event] has grown to be in all of our 14 interim housing locations in L.A. County,” he said. “It's really important for people to celebrate and feel celebrated in community.” 

Aguilar said that many of the interim housing residents are individuals who have spent years surviving on the streets while managing serious mental illness, chronic medical conditions, disabilities, trauma and extremely limited incomes, making events like Give Thanks and Gobble much more important and necessary. 

“We are here to provide the services and a little bit of the holiday cheer,” he said. 

At The Village, which is a pet-friendly facility, pets also celebrate and eat. Coco, a one-year-old french bulldog, sat in one of the dining room's sofas as her mom Eritza fed him pieces of turkey. “It’s her favorite,” Eritza said.

Jeff, who has been living in The Village for a shorter time than most, sat in front of the music speaker playing classical music and R&B hits. He prayed before taking a bite of mashed potatoes, signaling me to come over. 

Originally from Florida, he said he has only been in L.A. for four months, confessing he was still getting used to the weather and change in atmosphere. 

“I make art,” he said, as he proceeded to take out his composition notebook, which contained various drawings. “There’s not much on here right now,” he said as he turned the pages. “I had to start over since I lost my previous notebook.” 

When asked what he was grateful for, he simply said, “I’m breathing and I’m alive.” 

At The Village of the People Concern, 100 people were fed this Tuesday, but the organization plans to feed a total of 900 people throughout their different locations.