Thanksgiving. The one day of the year everyone should eat well, and with others.
The mere mention of the holiday conjures wonderful memories full of friends and family engaged in conversation around a table covered in dishes often reserved specifically for the occasion. It’s all there: an expansive turkey cooked to perfection; an aunt’s signature marshmallow yams; an uncle’s take on mashed potatoes; a brother’s attempt at stuffing.
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Simply put, the image is one of togetherness and savory bliss.
Hoping to ensure this bountiful occasion for a good portion of Santa Clarita, Joe Messina corralled a group together, practically on a whim, amassing 85 turkeys and 50 boxes of stuffing for the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center and the Boys and Girls Club centers in Canyon Country and Val Verde.
“I pretty much just told people to skip a lunch and donate,” said Messina.
With the help of the Dunamis Group, of which Messina’s Wildcat Technologies is a member, Jim Ventress of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley and Flo Lawrence of the Castaic Lions Club, Messina said they raised more than $1000.
Huntsinger Ranch, a Santa Clarita business of more than 75 years, supplied the turkeys.
“They donated several turkeys as well and gave us a great deal on the ones we purchased,” said Messina.
Find out more about the feast at the Senior Center here.