November 17th was one of my favorite events at the Union Rescue Mission. On this day, the URM hosts its annual Thanksgiving Dinner Event. This event is not just a simple dinner. During the event, the URM provides a complete Thanksgiving meal to about 3,000 individuals experiencing homelessness on skid row.
This means they fry up about 300 turkeys to serve alongside mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cabbage and even chicken nuggets for the picky eaters! Alongside this incredible meal is a special celebration the URM puts on for the families utilizing their services. Families don’t just get a meal, but they also get to partake in bouncy houses, games, face painting and much more!
What’s even more incredible than how much food or how many activities the URM provides, is how the Los Angeles community comes to support the mission in this event. This year the URM had about 400 volunteers come to help pull this event off. I truly think I saw a glimpse of what the body of Christ is supposed to look like. When you have 400 people coming together for the same cause- you can’t help but to get emotional. Because the volunteers took time out of their schedule to be with a part of their community that is normally ignored, I and the rest of those at the event were able to witness just a small portion of God’s perfect plan.
