Five hundred plates filled with turkey, gravy, sides of mashed potatoes, corn and a biscuit, complete with a slice of pumpkin pie were served for free at the 18th annual Foster Road Elementary School Thanksgiving Feast on Nov. 17.

This was the first year that fourth-grader Ricky Tedtaltal attended the Thanksgiving gathering.

“The food was good and my friends were here too,” Ricky, 9, said. “This was really fun and I will probably go again next year.”

Ricky’s grandmother, Olivia Castro, said she had never seen this type of event at any other school district.

“I was amazed that Foster Road did this,” Castro said. “It shows the amount of generosity they have to give to our community.”

Foster Road hosts the Thanksgiving Feast every year to gather members of its community around a warm Thanksgiving meal at the school. Booths were set up by an array of local organizations, including the City of La Mirada Chamber of Commerce, to inform the community about local events and resources. Benton Middle School also provided information on its performing and visual arts program.

“It’s always exciting to see so many members of our community come together and have a good time,” Foster Road Principal Salvador Villagomez said. “Thank you to our PTA, District schools and our local organizations for helping us run another successful event.”

La Mirada High School and Southeast Academy students volunteered to facilitate various activities, including painting students’ hands to create turkey handprints and scooping ice cream desserts. Families were able to enjoy a car show in the parking lot and watch a Dr. Seuss movie outside the multi-purpose room.

“Foster Road Elementary shows how strong our community is in supporting our schools,” NLMUSD Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian said. “I am so happy that our families are eager to support our students in their education and are also able to sit down next to each other to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.”

PHOTO:

112316_NLMUSD_THANKSGIVINGFEAST: A Southeast Academy student helps paint a Foster Road Elementary student’s hand to create a turkey handprint during the school’s 18th annual Thanksgiving Feast on Nov. 17.