Officials with Real Life Church partnered with students and staff from various schools in Canyon Country to give away over 200 Thanksgiving meals to families in need Sunday.

The idea for the event came from Juan Palomino, campus pastor for Real Life Church’s Canyon Country congregation, who reached out to Golden Valley High School Principal Sal Frias two months ago to talk about giving back to the Canyon Country community.

“It sounded like a great idea, so we contacted the other principals,” Frias said. “We started identifying people in need, got our plan together, and here we are today, providing over 200 Thanksgiving meals.”

After coming up with a plan, students and staff from Golden Valley High, Canyon High, Sierra Vista Junior High and La Mesa Junior High spent the next several months getting donations for the event, culminating in Sunday’s pick-up event.

“It’s definitely been a great event,” said Shellie Holcombe, principal of Canyon High. “The kids did a great job of coming together and making it work.”

In addition to the pick-up point at Golden Valley High, students also went out into the Canyon Country community to deliver meals to families who could not make it to the pick-up location.

“Seeing people smile about giving back to the community and helping the community out has been my favorite part,” Frias said.

In total, the group was able to give away 230 Thanksgiving meals, complete with a turkey and various side dishes traditionally served during the season.

“We firmly believe that as a community, together we can care for, empower and love our community here in Canyon Country,” Palomino said. “That’s really what this is all about: letting people know that they are somebody and we care for them and we love them.”

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