Warmth Found at Dinners : Thanksgiving: Thousands of hungry people were served free hot meals at places around the county.

Edward had spent half the morning searching for a free Thanksgiving Day dinner. At 59, and with a few years of street living behind him, he knew that someone, somewhere would be serving free, hot meals.

When he finally arrived at La Casa Garcia restaurant on Chapman Avenue at Harbor Boulevard, he was surprised to find not only a turkey dinner with all the trimmings but also a rocking band, thousands of people--and the son he hadn’t seen for more than a year.

“I walked up, and here’s my son. . . . He came down here looking for me,” said Edward, his silver curls neatly groomed, his clear blue eyes twinkling. “It’s a miracle I was even here today.”

Edward’s 38-year-old son, Larry, said he decided a few days ago to try to find his father. Over the band’s Latino and American tunes, the Lakewood man said he began asking people on the streets for suggestions.

“They said since he was living on the streets and couldn’t get a meal, he’d probably be here,” said Larry, who asked that his last name be withheld to protect his father’s privacy. “We probably wouldn’t have seen each other for a long time if I hadn’t found him here.”

Nearly 5,000 people celebrated the holiday with a free dinner in the parking lot at La Casa Garcia. Elsewhere in Orange County, at least 5,000 more had free Thanksgiving dinners at churches, shelters, parks--even a shopping mall. The hundreds of turkeys, tons of potatoes and pounds of stuffing ladled up for the county’s homeless, poor and simply lonely were provided by members of more than a dozen community groups who took time away from their own Thanksgiving dinners Thursday.

At the Westminster Mall, where potted poinsettias topped the tables in the Cafe 405 dining area, festively outfitted carolers wandered from table to table singing holiday favorites, as families, seniors and young people were served by waiters and waitresses who wouldn’t leave their guests alone.

“Can I bring you another plate?” one asked.

“Are you ready for dessert?” another said.

“How did you like the food? Would you like to take some home?”

With three children under age 2 at home, Jeanette Vasquez, 25, husband Pedro, 26, and her sister Elizabeth Plummer, 17, happily accepted two containers of pumpkin pie and a bag of dinner rolls.

Vasquez, who came from Chicago with her sister about a year ago, said they were surprised when they heard a free dinner would be served inside the shopping mall while the stores were closed.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said, her arms full of her 20-month-old son, Peter. “I thought it would be like get in a line, feed yourself. . . . But everybody’s been really nice.

“Pedro said, ‘They treat you like you’re rich.’ So I said, ‘Act like you’re rich, it may be your only chance.’ ”

Vasquez said that although they aren’t homeless, there isn’t much money left for them and three children to live on after the rent on their Westminster apartment is paid.

At another table, Gary and Karen Bustillos toasted each other with foam cups and fed each other bites of apple pie, giving thanks that their marriage was well, and that even in more difficult times, they had each other.

“She’s my partner,” said Gary Bustillos, 32, a truck driver. The couple said they share a motel room in Westminster, and though both are working, they are unable to save enough for a deposit on an apartment. “Just what we make is enough to pay the motel and feed us,” Gary said.

“It’s so expensive,” added Karen Bustillos, 25, a nurse’s assistant. “It’s so hard--and then one thing goes and it upsets the whole apple cart.”

At Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in La Habra, the solemn church hall was transformed into a festive autumn-colored dining room as hundreds of community members shared stories, stuffing and friendship and left with bags brimming with groceries.

“We came to be with friends, with strangers who are friendly,” said Bernice Wernert, 82, who came to the afternoon dinner with her husband, Larry, 85. Like many older couples whose children have long since moved away, the Whittier couple said their only family is a daughter who now lives in Northern California and rarely comes home for the holidays.

Rather than spend the day alone, the couple sought a place where they could find company. A youthful-looking, white-haired Bernice Wernert said that over the past few days, the spirit of the holiday finally hit her. “You see all your neighbors and their families getting together, and you think, ‘Darn it!’ ”

In Anaheim, as the sun set, the band packed its gear and the party drew to a close at La Casa Garcia, where restaurant owner Frank Garcia ended up serving 2,000 more people than the 3,000 he originally had planned for.

As the final guests were served, others left with arms full of groceries and magenta flowers that had been the centerpieces. And volunteers took down dozens of borrowed folding tables and chairs that had fill the corner lot.

Garcia said he was happy to have given something back to the community.

One of those who enjoyed the feast at La Casa Garcia gave his own thanks for the people who have helped him out.

“I really appreciate these guys giving me a hand,” said Bob, 34, a homeless man who said he has been on the streets “many years.”

“I’m glad I caught this one this year. . . . You don’t usually get bands, that’s for sure. . . . (And) I was hungry when I walked in.”