DINNER OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO HOLIDAY ALONE : GATHERING GIVES PEOPLE SENSE OF FEASTING, FAMILY.Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer Pat Spandrio, widowed and alone, had little to look forward to on Christmas Day - until she learned of the free community holiday dinner offered in 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. . ``I was sitting at home crying this morning,'' said Spandrio, 73. ``But this gave me something to look forward to. It gave a lot of us who would have been alone something to look forward to.'' Spandrio was among hundreds of people who spent Christmas Day at the 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 Community Dinner where 160 school district employees, city workers and high school students volunteered to serve up a holiday meal and good cheer. Their patrons: the homeless, seniors, singles, couples and families - anyone who didn't want to spend the holiday alone. ``Here, they have a community family to spend the holiday with,'' said Donn Delson, an Agoura resident who coordinated this year's third annual event. Delson came up with the idea for a community feast just before Thanksgiving in 1993, when he visited his mother in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . The two dined in an Italian restaurant, where the owner was giving away free Thanksgiving meals to thank his customers for supporting his business. After returning home to the Conejo Valley, Delson presented the idea to local churches and temples. A short time later, the community formed Conejo Community Dinners Inc., a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. to which locals could contribute money, canned food canned food food sterilized by heat in a closed, durable container such as tin and aluminum cans, flexible aluminum foil and thermoplastic containers including squeeze tubes. Technically, the processes used are highly efficient and used universally. and other items to make the holiday dinner abundant. ``We're blessed by living in an affluent community,'' Delson said. ``A lot of people who live here want to give back. This is their way of doing that.'' This year, local contributors included Costco, 7-Eleven and Smart & Final. Local churches put together dozens of personal care packages. Thousand Oaks elementary school elementary school: see school. children hand-made dozens of reindeer reindeer, ruminant mammal, genus Rangifer, of the deer family, found in arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America. It is the only deer in which both sexes have antlers. candy canes. Andrea Campbell, a junior at Thousand Oaks High, said volunteering at Wednesday's event made her count her blessings. ``Seeing people here today who would have been alone made me even more thankful for my family,'' said the 16-year-old. While the dinner gave more than 450 people a place to spend the holiday, for some, it had a deeper meaning. ``It showed me people really do care,'' said Kacy Smith, 21, who would have gone without eating Wednesday if it wasn't for the holiday dinner. ``It's nice to see communities do things like this.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--ran in CONEJO edition only--color) Volunteers Morrie Abramson, left, Ron Kealer and Margaret Pollack pollack: see cod. pollack or pollock Either of two commercially important North Atlantic species of food fish in the cod family (Gadidae). prepare food for the Conejo Valley Community Dinner. (2--ran in CONEJO edition only--color) Anyone who didn't want to eat alone on Christmas was welcome at a dinner in Thousand Oaks served by volunteers like, from left, Erica Hoffman, Wendy Hoffman, Judy Grossman, Peggy Johnson, Ruth Bloom and Diana Kealer. (3--ran in CONEJO edition only) Volunteer Debbie Goldberg, left, gets a hug from Pat Hughes as an expression of the spirit of togetherness that prevailed ChristmasDay at the Conejo Valley Community Dinner at Thousand Oaks High School Thousand Oaks High School is a high school established in 1962 and located in Thousand Oaks, California. It is a California Distinguished School, and offers curriculum at all levels for Thousand Oaks students. The mascot is the lancer. . Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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