If you are looking for ways to give back to the community this holiday season, here are some ways to spend Thanksgiving in San Diego.
United Run for the Hungry: Join thousands of San Diegans on Thanksgiving morning for the annual United Run for the Hungry 5K/10K walk. The walk begins at Horton Plaza and extends through the Gaslamp and East Village. There will be fun entertainment, tasty refreshments, and the proceeds go directly to benefit the hungry in San Diego County through the Food Bank’s food assistance programs and Jewish Family’s Service’s Food Assistance programs; Foodmobile, Hunger Advocacy Network, Hand Up Youth Food Pantry, and Hand Up Teen Leadership. If you’d like to volunteer, but don’t feel like walking, more than 200 volunteers are need to help with registration, water stations, food stations, and more. For information about volunteering, call (858) 637-3050 or click here.
Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5k: Beginning at 7:45AM in Balboa Park, join Father Joe’s annual Thanksgiving Day walk. Father Joe’s Village is Southern California’s largest residential homeless services provider. With partner agencies, St. Vincent de Paul Village and Martha’s Village & Kitchen, Father Joe’s Villages has been empowering people to achieve self-sufficiency for over 62 years. Father Joe’s and its partner agencies prepare up to 4,000 meals and provide care for nearly 1,500 people every day. To join the 5K or volunteer with Father Joe’s Villages, call (619) 446-2108 or click here.
19th Annual Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner: Life Christian Church will be providing a home-style Thanksgiving dinner for the residents of North County San Diego. In addition to a warm meal, there will be live entertainment, backpacks filled with toiletries, hygiene products, and clothing items for those suffering from homelessness and families in need. The event will be held in Vista, San Diego. Set-up begins at 8:45AM and serving begins at 12:00PM. To volunteer for set-up/service or to fill backpacks for those in need, call (760) 480-6233 or click here.
Horizon’s Thanksgiving Outreach 2012: Horizon Christian Fellowship will be opening its campus to thousands of people from around San Diego on Thursday for its annual Thanksgiving outreach program. Regardless of religious affiliation, volunteers are asked to serve in a variety of the program’s openings. In addition to donating items, volunteers can sign up to serve in dental assistance, feet washing, food and kitchen preparations, legal assistance, haircuts, general physical health assessments, and more. To see the complete list of available services or to sign up to volunteer, click here.
Thanksgiving Morning Outreach: Join volunteers on Thanksgiving morning from 7:30-10AM to socialize and spend time with senior San Diegans from four different retirement communities. The event will be hosted by Silver Angels and will take place near the Bank of America in San Marcos. Silver Angels is a volunteer based ministry from the San Diego Rock Church that serves to alleviate loneliness and encourage spiritual growth among senior citizen in San Diego County. To spend time with senior citizens and join the continental breakfast, click here.