SANTA CRUZ — Few signs of life were visible downtown on Thanksgiving afternoon, with the exception of an animated hub surrounding the Santa Cruz’s Veterans Memorial Building.
A well-paced line spread down the sidewalk for the annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner while a group of musicians entertained waiting attendees.
Veterans For Peace member and event co-organizer Lee Brokaw, a career general contractor, handled the event logistics, including everything from tape on the floor to align the tables to the precise size of the pie slices. Everyone plays a role for this free community meal and for Brokaw, this community gathering is his Thanksgiving tradition.
“Runner” and 10-year-old Ben Lomond resident Cody Kurek operated the food cart, exchanging empty dishes in the basement kitchen for heaping platters from a food truck parked outside, where chef Jozseph Schultz was whipping up the latest batch of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls and more.
“The whole reason I kind of came here is ’cause my parents wanted me here, and my grandparents,” Cody said. “And also, we were doing this because we were trying to care about the community and help people, like how they don’t have a home sometimes.”
Volunteer Tom Batley stood at the threshold to the large auditorium, so close to the steaming hot plates that those in line could smell the food while they waited to be let in. Keeping one eye on seats opening up, the long-time community volunteer ushered small groups inside, saying his morning was free to help others before he could join in for a meal with friends.
Seated nearby, Phyllis Davis said she was the widow of a World War II veteran who died in 2020 and that her family lived out of town, leaving her to get out of the house and try out the meal. She described her first-time attendance as “marvelous,” with attentive volunteers ensuring she was well-fed.
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin flitted from table to table carrying an oversized tray of pie slices. Soon, she was out the door and back for a quick trip to the grocery to purchase more turkey after supplies ran low. Serving others does “a lot more for me than I do for them,” noted the assemblymember.
“I’ve made it a point to get up every day and find something to be grateful for. This really puts things in perspective, as far as how lucky I am and just how much there is a great need, and the need is growing for people,” Pellerin said. “We need to treat our fellow humankind as humans that need food and shelter and healthcare and mental healthcare. Just give dignity and respect to everybody.”
Former U.S. Marine Corps member James Sclar, who serves as the Vet’s Hall facilities manager, was a liaison for the day’s event. Sclar noted that, instead of a free-for-all rush on the meal servers, attendees were flowing in organized seatings this year.
“Today is all about feeding bellies,” Sclar said. “Getting that belly full.”
“It means Santa Cruz County’s working. We actually do take care of the people out here on the street,” Sclar said, reflecting on the significance of the Thanksgiving meal. “We have a lot of homeless situations and this is their chance to get a good meal, this is their chance to sit outside — they post the no-sleeping signs outside … here’s their chance to post a sign, play some music and show we’re not bad people, we’re just people on the street and we need a meal like everybody, and this is their spot to come and get it.”
Santa Cruz U.S. Army veteran paratrooper Richard Maldonado finished up his meal before carrying his dishes to the trash. He described his Thanksgiving plans, without the downtown meal: “If it wasn’t this, I’d be probably having popcorn.” Maldonado said he regularly attends weekly meals at the Veterans Hall and that Thursday’s favored meal item was the mashed potatoes.
First-time Thanksgiving meal volunteer Vicky Culver brought her whole family — husband and three adult children — to the event. She said she was turned away last year when too many volunteers signed up and so proactively sought a slot earlier this year.
“It’s just a miracle, because our girls live in Denver, our son lives in Santa Cruz. Well, they all came for the holidays, so we just thought it would be really nice to give back,” Culver said. “It feels incredible to be able to talk with them and be able to say, ‘Hey, what would you like, how can we serve you?’ (They have a) rough life and so it’s really beautiful to have community and have people give them the attention that they need.”
Community organizer Steve Pleich, who said he has co-led the Thanksgiving meal for the past 14 out of its 35 years, described the event as a “real signature event for Santa Cruz,” one that provided an homage to local veterans’ efforts. Pleich said the community is able to see the compassion inside the doors of the Veterans Hall with about 400-500 meals served on-site, and another 100 meals delivered to the City Overlook homeless shelter at the National Guard Armory. He estimated about 75% of attendees were homeless.
“It just has that certain spirit that really reflects our community values,” Pleich said. “I’m not a religious guy, I’m not a faith person, but it’s a blessing.”