Turkeys given to families

State Sen. Tom Harman of Huntington Beach distributed 120 turkeys to families at Costa Mesa’s Someone Cares Soup Kitchen and the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291 in Newport Beach for Thanksgiving.

Harman, along with his staff, distributed a large number of turkeys from Nov. 20 to 22. Legion members planned to distribute turkeys to veterans’ families including from Camp Pendleton’s 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, which was adopted by Newport Beach.

Thanksgiving is that time of the year when families and friends come together to feast and reflect on things they are grateful for, Harman said. It “is also a time that brings great stress and hardship to others who are less fortunate.”

This was the first time Harman distributed about 50 turkeys to Marines from Camp Pendleton, he said.

“With the war on terrorism and the tremendous sacrifices that they are making in Iraq, it was a humbling experience for me,” he said.

The Marines drove up from Camp Pendleton to Newport Beach’s American Legion Post to pick up the boxes of frozen turkeys. “That kind of made me feel good about helping them.”

Harman and his staff distributed turkeys to residents of the Oakview area in Huntington Beach over the last two years. He also gave away turkeys to families with the Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos.

About 40% of the people served by the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen are from Huntington Beach. The kitchen serves some 300 meals daily to Orange County’s needy families and provides tutoring for children. The American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291 is the largest American Legion Post in California and was founded in 1924 by 30 World War I veterans and Newport Harbor residents.