Temple Adat Elohim brings joy at their annual Christmas Day dinner
More than 200 people attended an annual Christmas Day dinner hosted by Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.
JUAN CARLO, Ventura County Star
Regardless of whether people may be struggling with isolation or food insecurity, a group of Ventura County volunteers hopes to ensure that no one spends this Christmas alone or hungry.
At least three local nonprofits — Temple Edat Elohim in Thousand Oaks, Samaritan Center in Simi Valley and Many Meals in Camarillo — are offering residents free meals on or before Christmas Day.
“Clients are extremely grateful,” said Liz Loll, of Many Meals of Camarillo. “And they’re always commenting on how good the meals are, how their family really enjoyed it and how they had nowhere else to go.”
For each nonprofit, the meals are longstanding traditions with familiar faces both in volunteers and participants.
Temple Edat Elohim continues tradition
For the 31st year, Temple Edat Elohim in Thousand Oaks will host its annual community holiday dinner, complete with turkey, decorations and music.
All are welcome at the event, which takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 25 at 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive.
Robin Segal, a synagogue member and event organizer, said the tradition began when congregants realized how many of their neighbors either spend Christmas alone or are unable to prepare a Christmas meal. Hosting a Christmas dinner, she said, aligns with the temple’s mission to repair the world.
“Our servant heart is to give back and help others,” she said.
So many members have a servant heart that there is a waitlist for volunteers each year.
Segal has helped organize the event for nearly 10 years and recalls meeting a struggling mother and father as well as their three young children, who were thrilled to take photos with Santa Claus and pick out toys to bring home.
“They were so appreciative and thankful, and then they brought them back to the parents,” Segal said. “And the parents were all excited, too.”
Volunteers began preparing for the dinner and toy drive in June and expect to serve more than 300 people this year.
The interfaith conversations with the guests are always rewarding, Segal said. Each year, she is reminded that she and her Ventura County neighbors have more similarities than differences.
“It doesn’t matter what religion you are or what your core beliefs are — we’re all there to be together,” she said. “That sense of joy in celebrating other people’s traditions is amazing.”
Temple Edat Elohim is a partner of Harbor House, which provides free meals to the area’s homeless population every day in December except Christmas.
Samaritan Center fills gap
The Samaritan Center, a Simi Valley nonprofit dedicated to assisting those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, will serve the community a warm Christmas dinner from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 25 at 280 Royal Ave.
Though the menu will be dependent on donations, the event is also sit-down style. Nani Berman, marketing and administrative coordinator, said the nature of the dinner reflects the agency’s effort to recognize the inherent worth of every individual.
“One of our mantras at the Samaritan Center is restoring human dignity in the most simple ways, so I think it’s important to sit down and socialize,” she said.
Even if it’s only for a short period of time and they have to return to the streets after, she said she hopes the event provides clients with a sense of safety and self-esteem.
“I love to hear that people feel comfortable coming here,” Berman said. “Our staff members pride themselves on treating everyone equally, no questions asked.”
About 60 people are expected to attend the holiday dinner. The Samaritan Center also serves free meals at the same site every weekday.
Many Meals hosts drive-thru
Many Meals of Camarillo will be making its weekly drive-thru meal distribution festive on Dec. 22.
The nonprofit will be giving participants home-cooked ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted vegetables, bread rolls and Christmas cookies from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 25 N. Las Posas Road.
Board member Liz Loll began volunteering for the organization 13 years ago as a way to help her neighbors who may be struggling silently beside her.
“Service is part of our life, and if we can serve people who do not have what we have, we should,” she said. “The best part of my evenings is walking up and down the driveway and talking to people.”
About 125 cars line up each Monday, and Loll knows almost every driver by name.
Many Meals shifted from sit-down meals to drive-thru distribution during the pandemic, and the feedback was so positive that the format remained, though tables are available inside the church for those who crave company while they eat.
Loll said many of the recipients live in their cars, and she loves when they excitedly tell her that they have found housing, especially around the holidays.
“There are wonderful stories that come out of this so many that we wish we could help more,” she said.
Each driver can pick up a maximum of six meals, all prepared by volunteers from local churches and charity groups.
The week of Christmas, members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Camarillo will be cooking the dinner.
“There’s a lot of helping hands in Camarillo,” Loll said.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
Dining and Cooking