Thanksgiving is a special time of year at La Casa’s shelter. Our staff will post a volunteer sheet for residents to sign up to cook different courses in the meal. People volunteer to cook on Wednesday night or Thursday morning to prep for the big day. All the classics are on the table: mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, and, of course, turkey.
Being in the kitchen often gives the women staying at our shelter a real sense of joy as they have an opportunity to cook and share food with people they love. Residents will put their personal touch on the cuisine, and some recipes—like one client’s awesome trail-mix cookies with chocolate, nuts, and raisins—enter the stuff of La Casa legend. Each year, La Casa cooks up donated turkeys from the San Francisco Marin Food Bank and other generous donors. Then we finish the meal off with pumpkin pie and sparkling apple cider.
““I’m thankful for the good people that help us””
Holidays are often a bittersweet time for survivors, especially for young children who may not understand why they’re separated from other family and friends. Many women also have especially strong feelings about the relationship they left. Maintaining traditions like Thanksgiving are important for fostering a safe, supportive environment for the families staying at our shelter. This year there will be up to 20 women and 15 children celebrating Thanksgiving with La Casa, and we will strive to make our shelter a place of joy, healing, and hope for all our residents during this challenging time.
We channel the seasonal spirit and bring festive cheer by decorating the shelter's halls with pumpkins, turkey figurines, garlands, and other Thanksgiving-related decor. Every year the staff builds an autumnal tree out of construction paper to celebrate the season. Each women and child is invited to write what they’re grateful for on a paper leaf and tape it onto the tree. Many residents write that they’re grateful for our shelter—grateful to have La Casa exist and their family safe.
These words keep us going as the La Casa family is powered by our passionate commitment to help survivors take the next steps toward an independent, violence-free lives.
You can learn more about La Casa’s emergency shelter program on our website or make a contribution to support our work. Please follow along with La Casa’s work by connecting with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.