Central Los Angeles : Center Gives Free Turkeys to Families

One hundred frozen turkeys were given away Wednesday to make Thanksgiving dinner possible for needy families.

The turkey and canned food giveaway was arranged by workers at the South-Central Community Family Service Center, a group that offers such programs as parenting classes and counseling.

“We want to touch as much of the community as possible,” said Rev. Larry Jackson, pastor of the Gethsemane Christian Church, which runs the service center. Families identified as needy by service groups throughout Los Angeles were contacted for the turkey giveaway, Jackson said.

Holding her 7-month-old baby in her arms and sitting between her two other children, Linda Thompson, 37, said that she didn’t have enough money to buy a turkey this holiday because she had been robbed.

Thompson said she was walking past the service center, hoping to get some diapers for her baby, when one of the workers invited her to get a turkey. “It’s a blessing,” she said.