A hungry crowd of about 300 persons showed up at the Ceres Community Center Thursday evening for a meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetables for the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
The event was hosted by the Center for Human Services (CHS) and Ceres Partnership but a number of other groups and individuals donated all the food and beverage items. Meals were free to those who signed up.
Members of the Ceres High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) and Center for Human Services staff volunteered to assist in serving the meal.
“This is the first time we’ve been asked to help out and we’re happy to do so,” said FFA adviser and ag teacher Brian Mortensen.
Jose Saldivar, owner of La Cascada Restaurant cooked approximately 20 turkeys donated by Shane Parson of Diamond Bar Arena. Parson also secured 200 pounds of potatoes to be mashed and served. Congressman Adam Gray donated 50 pies to be cut up and served.
“I think I spent about $750 or $800 to feed 300 people,” said Parson. “I bought 20 turkeys at roughly $20 apiece. The potatoes were about $250.”
Green beans, corn, gravy, rolls and drinks rounded out the dinner. Much of the canned goods came from the efforts of the FFA members who collected over 9,000 cans from the community as part of the Day of Service event. Canned food was also distributed to the food pantries in Hughson, at St. Jude’s Catholic, and Ceres Police Department which donated to the Hope Tree Church.
In addition, about 40 bags of canned foods were distributed. The food was donated by local FFA members who participated in the Day of Service event held recently at Parson’s arena.
Center for Human Services (CHS) is a local non-profit providing service to youth and families throughout Stanislaus County. In Ceres, CHS operates Ceres Partnership, a one-stop shop for families in need. Services offered include school readiness for kids, parenting classes, emergency food and clothing assistance and counseling.
“I like the Center for Human Services,” said Parson. “They do a lot of good for our community.”
Also assisting at the event was the staff of the city of Ceres Recreation Department, including Recreation Manager Joey Chavez.
On Friday evening it was the Ceres Rotary Club’s turn to serve up a community Thanksgiving dinner, annually offered at the Salvation Army Red Shield Center in south Modesto.
For more than two decades now Ceres Rotarians have looked after the needs of the center on Las Vegas Avenue to enrich the lives of many underprivileged residents of the area.
Aside from the annual Thanksgiving meals, the Red Shield Center provides meals every weekday, providing kids with an afterschool snack and a meal. The center is also busy in the summer time, providing food and recreational opportunities for families such as providing swimming lessons and basketball play.
Thanksgiving originated from a 1621 harvest feast shared by Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people, though it wasn’t a national holiday until President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it so in 1863. For over two centuries, thanksgiving celebrations were proclaimed by individual colonies and states. The modern holiday evolved from these celebrations and its date was eventually fixed by Lincoln as the last Thursday in November.
Dining and Cooking