A Thanksgiving tradition, courtesy of volunteers
About midway through her free Thanksgiving meal provided by the Salvation Army Burbank Corps, a local resident simply known as Miss Pam took her cellphone out of her bag and started taking pictures of the food in front of her.
The photos she was snapping were for her older sister, who recently became widowed in South Carolina after her husband of nearly 58 years died.
“She’s in a real flux, and she’s worried about me because I’m out here all alone,” Pam said.
Burbank Mayor Jess Talamantes offers resident Pam Jay a piece of pumpkin pie during the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Pam was one of more than a few hundred people who stopped by the Burbank Corps’ headquarters at Third Street and Angeleno Avenue Wednesday night and received a hot meal consisting of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and two types of pies: apple crumble and pumpkin.
“My grandmother would be proud of these blanched beans,” Pam said. “There’s texture and taste to it.”
Those receiving the free meal gathered inside the Burbank Corps’ gymnasium, which was configured to seat 124 people at a time. The local nonprofit was able to feed about 300 folks during last year’s dinner and had aspirations to feed more Wednesday night, said Lt. Jeremy Baker.
From left, Joshua Hernandez, Maria Beltran and Walter Alas enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner at the Burbank Salvation Army on Wednesday, November 23, 2016.
As soon as a person was seated at a table, a swarm of volunteers from the Burbank Sunrise Rotary Club and Bellarmine-Jefferson High School asked them what they wanted to drink and eat.
“Last year, we thought we would maybe feed 150 to 200 people, and we ended up with 300 people,” Baker said. “We realized this is really something that the community of Burbank looks forward to and really enjoys.”
Lt. Brittany Baker, Jeremy Baker’s wife, was also there that night to guide people to the gym to get their meal.
“There’s such a need for this,” she said. “So many people in our community today don’t have loved ones to spend Thanksgiving with, so we get to provide that environment and spread some holiday cheer during this Thanksgiving season.”
Burbank Salvation Army Lt. Jeremy Baker serves up a tray of Thanksgiving dinners to a waiting crowd.
Burbank resident Bobby McCreery said he was thankful for receiving the free meal from the Salvation Army, which is helping him to save money for an upcoming surgery.
He added that out of all the Salvation Army branches he has visited, he believes that the Burbank Corps has the best outreach and cares about its community.
“They just seem to be more aggressive, in a good way, about being a part of the community,” he said. “Their willingness to help others is just great.”
Anne White carries a tray of fresh pumpkin pie to guests at Thanksgiving dinner at the Salvation Army.
