Charities Found More Mouths to Feed This Year

Orange County churches, restaurants and social service agencies reported providing more free meals this Thanksgiving as thousands of people sought a respite from a gloomy economy.

“It seems more people who are needy aren’t just the homeless but families and older people,” said Julie Cantu of Santa Ana’s El Tapatio restaurant, which served 5,000 free Thanksgiving meals Thursday.

George Meldrum noticed the sign of the times as he served one of the 200 free meals at the Placentia Presbyterian Church. “I’m seeing more and more former white-collar professionals,” he said.

The county’s economic hardship is evident to people like Joe Furey, a manager at the Orange County Rescue Mission. The number of people requesting the agency’s services has increased 20% in the past 10 months, he said. Last year, the Rescue Mission in Santa Ana served about 250 meals a day. Now it averages 400 meals daily, Furey said. On Thursday, Rescue Mission workers expected to serve about 1,000 turkey dinners.

While the national unemployment rate dropped slightly to 7.4% last month from 7.5%, California’s jobless rate surged 0.4% to 9.8% in October. Orange County’s figures for October haven’t been released yet, but officials don’t expect any improvements from September’s jobless rate of 6.5%.

At the Hard Rock Cafe in Newport Beach, Chris Frost, his brother and sister-in-law seemed overwhelmed by their surroundings as they feasted on their free Thanksgiving meal.

“It’s more like a palace of rock stars,” Frost, a 40-year-old Buena Park resident, said, eyeing the ’59 pink Cadillac that was parked above the bar.

“It’s a wonderful place, man,” added his sister-in-law, Feather Frost.

Chris Frost lost his job as a van driver more than a year ago and hasn’t been able to find work, he said. Feather Frost collects disability checks, while her husband, Ed, has been unemployed for a year, she said.

The three now share a two-bedroom apartment with four other people. Last year, they cooked their holiday meal at home. This year, they were taken by bus from a public park in Orange to tony Fashion Island for a free meal at the Hard Rock. While rock music was cranked high and the television set was tuned to the traditional football game, about 250 people ate the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

In all, the restaurant chain’s 11 U.S. eateries--plus one in Sydney, Australia--were expected to serve about 10,000 meals, said Vice President Jim Rees.

At the Orange County Rescue Mission in Santa Ana, the austere environs provided a stark contrast to the scene at the Hard Rock Cafe. People were lining up outside the Rescue Mission in the morning, waiting for the first meal call at 11:30 a.m. Inside, there was a small picture of Jesus with the caption, “The greatest person who ever lived was homeless.”

Many of those who arrived were homeless.

“They have absolutely no place to go today,” said Jim Palmer, the Rescue Mission’s executive director.

After a short prayer session, the diners went into the dining room, which had been decorated with balloons and crepe paper.

More than 200 volunteers, a higher number than usual, took turns serving.

“There’s a lot of good spirit here,” said James Taylor, who last year ate at the Rescue Mission but now works there. “I can feel it.”

Arnel Mendoza has volunteered to serve food the last two Thanksgivings. “It’s the spirit of giving,” the 30-year-old Hacienda Heights resident said. “I’m thinking . . . how I have three dinners to go to tonight. Some people don’t have anybody to go to.”

Samira Girma, a high school sophomore from Orange, and her mother, Weinhareg Kahssay, often help serve meals on Saturdays and the holidays.

“I get happy when I see smiles on their faces,” Samira said.

Last year, David Blankenship celebrated Thanksgiving in a restaurant. But after being laid off from his job printing circuit boards more than a year ago, he spent this Thanksgiving at the Rescue Mission. The 37-year-old Sacramento native has been sleeping on the street.

His dinner partner, Charles Jones, 47, of Louisiana, has been living in the shelter for three weeks. He, too, is looking for work.

“I’d love a chance to have a minimum-wage job,” Jones said.

Leroy A. Ensz had just finished his meal. The 38-year-old veteran from Bismarck, N.D., is on disability and has been living at the shelter for 10 days. “That was awful good cooking,” he said.

He then took the piece of pumpkin pie he had been saving, went outside and ate it in the bright sunshine.