Serving Turkey, Companionship

Organizers at the Oxnard-Port Hueneme Salvation Army say those who gather to dine at their Thanksgiving Day suppers are usually as grateful for the companionship as they are for the turkey.

A “spirit of the community settles over the dinner,” where families often wear their best clothes, said Capt. Norman Patton of the Oxnard branch of the service organization.

“It really looks like a family, like everybody’s related,” he said. “Whether you’re black, white, Hispanic; they’re really a family that sits down.”

The group’s fourth consecutive Thanksgiving dinner will be one of a host of free efforts throughout the county planned Thursday to make sure residents don’t go without food or companionship on the holiday.

A Catholic Charities food pantry in Moorpark will open its doors this morning to those who need food to prepare. A coalition of Simi Valley service and city organizations will feed the hungry tonight. And the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging will distribute nearly 500 meals across the county Thursday.

Those hitting the highways to see distant family or friends at Thanksgiving can expect sunny skies and moderate temperatures through the weekend. Some early birds began their journeys Tuesday evening, as the California Highway Patrol reported heavy traffic along the stretch of the Ventura Freeway that runs through the county.

The National Weather Service predicts clear weather and moderate temperatures, which means the CHP is bracing for a glut of vehicles on county highways during the next five days. Statewide, the CHP will put 80% of its officers on the road between 6 p.m. today and midnight Sunday.

For families with no money for a Thanksgiving meal, the Oxnard-Port Hueneme Salvation Army will serve an early dinner. Nearly 500 residents are expected at 10:30 and noon Thursday at the Salvation Army Corps, 622 W. Wooley Road. The program will include a worship service and entertainment. Even families who haven’t signed up in advance are welcome to stop by and enjoy a meal, Patton said.

Seabees from the Navy’s Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme have signed up to cook the turkeys for the community meal. More than 50 volunteers will serve the food.

Patton said the Salvation Army faces no shortage of meals or volunteers. More than 200 volunteers attended the event last year, he said.

The Simi Sunrise Rotary Club is teaming up with the Boy Scouts and other civic groups to serve about 28 turkeys to 400 residents at the Simi Valley Senior Center, on Avenida Simi, north of City Hall. Volunteers will serve food between 5 and 8 p.m. The event is targeting anyone without a place to go for Thanksgiving dinner, Rotary member Marshall Shrago said.

For the young people who volunteer, the experience can be an eye-opener.

“All of a sudden they’re seeing people and talking to people . . . they haven’t experienced,” Shrago said of the Boy Scouts’ conversations with homeless guests and those less fortunate.

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging plans to deliver nearly 500 meals throughout the county Thursday, ensuring that homebound residents 60 and older have food and someone to talk to.

Elementary school children have created napkin holders and place mats to be delivered with the meals, which include turkey, stuffing, vegetables, pie and milk. To order a meal for delivery, call (805) 641-4420.

Catholic Charities’ food pantry, at Everett and Magnolia streets in Moorpark, will be open today from 10 a.m. to noon for folks to stop by and pick up dinner fixings.

Family to Family will serve a lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today at 303 N. Ventura Ave. in Ventura. And Ventura County Rescue Mission will host a lunch from noon to 2 p.m. today for the needy at 234 E. 6th St., Oxnard.

Other events Thursday to feed the needy include:

* Salvation Army lunch for seniors from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 650 S. Petit St., east Ventura.

* Ventura County Rescue Mission. Noon to 2 p.m., 234 E. 6th St., Oxnard.