Holiday spirit hit Natomas in a big way Monday.
Thanksgiving turkeys and bags of groceries were given away to a long line of families in need at Joey’s Food Locker, which is located at Natomas High School and operated by NUSD adult students with disabilities, many of whom assisted with Monday’s distribution.
Generosity and joy were evident everywhere you looked at the 90-minute event – Keller Williams Realty donated hundreds of turkeys, a community canned-food drive helped generate a mountain of groceries, and it was hard to tell volunteers from recipients because all seemed to be smiling.
A woman who identified herself as Kathy said food costs a lot all year long. Trying to scrape together enough dollars for a Thanksgiving turkey can add to the hardship, so Monday’s giveaway is a relief as the holiday approaches, she said.
“It makes you think that people care in the community,” she said. “They care that everybody has at least one good meal for Thanksgiving.”
Kevin said that he and his fiancée came to Sacramento recently from Michigan and are still getting adjusted. “Right now, we’re staying in a room-and-board house, so yeah, this is going to help us out a lot,” he said of the frozen turkey he received.
“This time of month, a lot of people don’t have money to feed their families, so this is perfect timing,” Lareina said. Asked if she plans to invite loved ones for a Thanksgiving meal, she smiled and said simply – now I will.
“No matter how big or small, any help will do,” added Gloria.
Keller Williams Realty committed 500 turkeys to the Thanksgiving giveaway at Joey’s Food Locker, but because of the desperate need of wildfire victims in Butte County, all sides supported diverting 100 of the frozen birds to relief efforts there. In both locations, Natomas and Butte County, KW’s turkeys went to families in need.
“It feels great — It’s awesome to be able to do this,” Rico Rivera, manager of the Keller Williams office in Natomas, said as he watched families line up for turkeys at Joey’s Food Locker. He said that KW was helped by a $1,000 donation from Moorefied Construction and by other business partners. “This is a group effort from a lot of different people,” he said.
Rivera said KW is part of the Natomas community, appreciates the community, and enjoys giving back to families who live here.
“We all have a story,” Rivera said. “I actually was helped, my family was helped by church groups, we had no food. So I just wanted to pay it forward and give back.”
Thanks in part to the community canned-food drive, families walked away with groceries ranging from breakfast cereal to rice, cornbread, chips, beans, cranberries, peaches, pudding, tuna, peas, soup, chips, and other non-perishable foods.
Rev. Matthew Peters, of Peace Lutheran Church, said the need is substantial in Natomas and “it’s wonderful” to see the generosity reflected by Monday’s event.
“I love the spirit of giving and sharing that we see here,” he said. “This is what we’re here to do, serve one another in any way we can. And putting a hot meal on the table for a family that otherwise could not afford it is a blessing not only for them but for us as well.”
Teacher Joel Schwieger watched the action unfold at Monday’s giveaway. The food locker is located only a few steps from the classroom where he teaches the adult Special Education students who run it, distributing groceries twice a month to families in need.
“The Natomas community is unbelievable,” Schwieger said. “If you would have come here this morning, every single table in my entire classroom was filled with food, every single table, and we’re scrambling now to make more bags, because we know the community is in need and we’re here to help.”
Monday’s event had been rescheduled from last Friday, Nov. 16, due to poor air quality from the Butte County wildfires.
“My kids are awesome,” Schwieger said. “When they found out that we were not going to open Friday, they were literally in tears, because we were not going to be around to help others. They all have great hearts, I’m extremely proud of each and every one of them.”
Happy Thanksgiving, indeed.
