SALINAS — For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.
Each year the OMNI Resource Center in Salinas hosts a lunch on Thanksgiving Day, serving about 150 people hungry for more than food.
A program run through Interim Inc., which provides services and affordable housing for those with mental illness, OMNI needs volunteers and donations to help with this year’s meal on Nov. 28.
Guests at this special holiday lunch represent not only members of Interim’s housing program, but also the homeless, those with limited income, and/or those with no family.
The lunch gives attendees more than just a meal; they also make new friends, gain a sense of community, and get a meal to take home for later in the evening.
There are many volunteer opportunities to not only help brighten their day but also give hope for their future.
Donations can be dropped off at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center in Salinas (339 Pajaro St., Suite A). Deadline is Nov. 12 for non-perishables, and Nov. 15 for fresh food. OMNI needs everything from oval roasting pans to food items such as turkeys, spiral-sliced hams, boxes of stuffing mix, chicken broth, jars of cranberry sauce, cans of whipped cream and much more.
Volunteers are needed to cook food, but also to help register and usher guests, to serve food and clean up.
Volunteers (aside from cooks) will be asked to arrive at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 for a quick training followed by lunch. Cooks will be asked to bring prepared food by noon on Nov. 27.
Anyone interested in donating to the Thanksgiving lunch or volunteering their time, should contact Lisa Corpuz at (831) 800-7530 x431 or email [email protected].
ABOUT THE OMNI RESOURCE CENTER
The OMNI Resource Center offers peer-led programs promoting wellness and recovery, as well as recreational and social opportunities. Wellness programs are free and open to anyone with mental health challenges. Programs are also offered off-site at other community locations. No referral is necessary. The OMNI Resource Center is located at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center, 339 Pajaro St., Salinas, CA, 93901. The center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
