CHURCHES OPEN HEARTS FOR NEEDY.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer Needy families from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and beyond lined up Saturday for free turkeys and trimmings to fill their Thanksgiving dinner The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States is a large meal, starring a large roasted turkey. All of the dishes in the traditional American version of Thanksgiving Dinner are made from foods native to North America, according to tradition the Pilgrims received these tables. ``This is gonna help a lot for me and my four kids,'' said Cynthia Thorns, a single mother from Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , as she heaved several bags full of juice, vegetables and bread into the trunk of her car. Thorns was one of more than 2,000 families to visit the New Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ, Incorporated is the nation's largest Pentecostal and African-American Christian denomination. [1] History The Church of God in Christ, commonly referred to by its acronym, COGIC on Saturday in Pacoima, where Pastor Andrae Crouch said that the community's generosity is essential to many of the residents. ``When I came here six years ago, I was blown away to know that some people didn't have lamps or food,'' Crouch said, explaining that the church also does a smaller weekly food program. For the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, though, Crouch pulled out all the stops and many of the needy were given much more than relief from hunger. Barbecue chicken and hot dogs were served free as live performers played music and kids jumped around on inflatable moon bounces. ``There's a lot of people here who don't ever get to go to Disneyland, so we tried to bring that here,'' Crouch said. Pamela McGee, a Pacoima resident all of her life, sat and enjoyed the evening with her 12-year-old son, Cameron. ``It's good for me as a parent to bring Cameron to a positive function like this,'' McGee said. A similar event took place in Ventura County on Saturday as more than 55 families from Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , Newbury Park, Agoura, Westlake, Moorpark and Oxnard received complete Thanksgiving dinners, donated free with all the trimmings, and delivered in a decorated baskets to their doors by members and friends of the Vineyard Christian Church of Thousand Oaks. This was the eighth year the church has sponsored the Thanksgiving gift program to these communities. The Manna Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by Food Bank provided most of the names of needy families. Also Saturday in Pacoima, L.A. City Council members Alex Padilla Alex Padilla is a politician in California. He was elected as the State Senator for the 20th District of California in November 2006 and was inaugurated in early December. In order to enter the Senate he had to resign as Councilman for the 7th District on the Los Angeles City , Ruth Galanter Ruth Galanter was a city councilwoman from Los Angeles. She served as President Pro-Tempore and President of the city council. , Dennis Zine and Wendy Greuel were at the Hansen Dam where a load of 40 tons of snow was dumped onto the grounds for kids to play in. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Volunteers Vernell Henderson, left, and Sondi Casey prepare food bags for the needy during the seventh annual Block Party sponsored by the New Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ in San Fernando on Saturday. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
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