Bay Area non-profits offer turkey giveaways, holiday meals ahead of Thanksgiving

SAN FRANCISCO - The season of giving is in full effect right now across the Bay Area. Several charities held turkey giveaways and traditional sit-down Thanksgiving meals over the weekend. 

A long line of people waited patiently outside the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon for their 10th annual turkey giveaway to begin. Dozens of volunteers spent the morning bagging more than 300 turkeys and grocery bags full of holiday meal essentials.  

"It makes your day knowing that they’re going to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family," said volunteer Kim Owens.

"People out here care about the community," said organizer Tacing Parker, senior executive director of YMCA SF. "They are actually willing to give of themselves to serve someone else, and to me, that’s just amazing." 

YMCA SF also put on a free Thanksgiving meal for the community.

Meantime, in Downtown San Francisco at UN Plaza Sunday afternoon, similarly devoted volunteers from non-profit Mama G’s Kitchen treated more than 600 people in need to an early holiday meal with all the fixings. 

Volunteers spent several days shopping and meal-prepping for the event.