BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Thanksgiving Meal at the Kern County Mission is available to anyone and everyone who wants to join.
- The kitchen volunteers made enough food to serve 600 people.
- The prep-work for the food starts the weekend before Thanksgiving.
- The next big meal the mission will hold will be at 11 am on Christmas Eve.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“I come every year for the Thanksgiving Meals and the Christmas meals,” said Jeff Melton.
Diner Jeff Melton says The Mission at Kern County helped him get back on his feet, and he still goes to the meals to see old friends and meet new ones.
“I just like to meet everybody, see how everybody is doing, and bring me up to speed on everybody’s progress.”
The Mission at Kern County serves a Thanksgiving Meal every year – and anyone can attend.
The work providing the meal started much earlier, with volunteers in the kitchen arriving at 5 AM and the prep work starting days earlier.
“We’ve been preparing since this weekend actually, we’ve been doing a lot of the prep work, prepping the Turkey, which by the way we did about 75 or so,” said Dalya Sly, Kitchen Supervisor for the Mission.
Sly says it’s a big task to prepare these meals.
“We’re doing a serving of 600.”
“Everybody deserves a special meal, especially the ones that are on the streets that have nothing,” said Andrew Castelleja.
Castelleja is one of the many volunteers who helped out during the meal, saying he was helped by the mission when he was younger - and the Thanksgiving meal gives joy.
“The ones that don’t have nothing, you watch them smile, watch the happy glow.”
“For us it’s super important that I make them feel at home, they’re welcome, no questions asked, just come and participate and enjoy a good thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings,” said Executive Director for The Mission at Kern County Carlos Baldivinos.
Baldavinos says it’s more than just a meal.
“So as people leave, if they don’t have a jacket, we are going to give them a jacket, and a blanket as well.”
“I just appreciate the outpouring of love from the Kern County Mission, thank you so much,” Melton said.
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