Our Cause
In addition to providing a Thanksgiving Day feast to the homeless and less fortunate, The We Give Thanks Thanksgiving Dinner has become a meeting point where anyone not wanting to spend this festive time of year alone can come and enjoy a great meal, entertainment, and the friendly company of thousands of others from Southern California.
Our Mission
The mission of We Give Thanks is to enhance the well-being of the less fortunate in Southern California by making ongoing efforts and contributions to their well-being. We carry out this mission through various service activities. This includes bringing our community together on Thanksgiving Day for a special holiday meal, entertainment, and meeting place.
Board of Directors
Frank Garcia — Founder
Kevin Draper — President
Paul Andresen — Vice President
Nam Hoang — Treasurer
Frank Soria — Secretary
Jay Applebaum
Cindy Chikahisa
Kari Flood
Kent French
Roger Friedman
Frank Garcia Jr.
June Glenn
Claudio Loyola
Keerstin Preijers
Alex Vargas
Gilbert Vargas
Our History
For 30 years, We Give Thanks has been helping those in need in the greater Orange County and Los Angeles areas.
Frank Garcia, founder of We Give Thanks, felt blessed that his family had food and shelter but he knew that many families lacked his good fortune.
Believing Thanksgiving is a special day to give thanks for God’s gifts, Garcia decided serve a free Thanksgiving Day dinner to families in need in the parking lot of his family owned restaurant, La Casa Garcia. Each year the number of persons increased and soon surpassed 15,000.
This upcoming Thanksgiving will mark the 30th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Although the location has changed from the parking lot of La Casa Garcia to Honda Center, the purpose of the dinner has remained the same: To serve a free Thanksgiving dinner to individuals and families in need.
Biography of Frank Garcia
As a child in Bishop, Texas, Frank Garcia learned many valuable lessons from his father, born in Mexico, and from his mother, born in Texas, who valued hard work, pride in being an American citizen, thankfulness for the daily gifts of life, and the importance of helping others. Moving to southern California in 1961, Garcia founded several restaurants including La Casa Garcia Restaurant in Anaheim in 1973, which soon became a leading Orange County restaurant through the dedicated commitment of Frank, his wife Silvia, and their children, Frank, Jr., Johnny, Cindy, Veronica, and Silvia.
The childhood lessons Garcia learned instilled a sense of community, a need to give to others, and the inspiration to establish We Give Thanks Inc., a nonprofit corporation, which has served free Thanksgiving dinners to Southern Californians in need for nearly two decades—to date, more than 200,000 meals.
In 2001, We Give Thanks established an annual Women of Vision Awards Dinner in memory of his mother to recognize women with exceptional commitments to community service. Proceeds from this event benefit the We Give Thanks Scholarship Program, which assists local students in need. In 2005, Garcia traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas after Hurricane Katrina to serve tens of thousands of hot meals to evacuees. We Give Thanks has also served orphanages in Tijuana, Mexico, distributing food, toys, computers, and school supplies. Frank Garcia is committed to serving persons in need with compassion and instilling the spirit of giving to others.
Thanksgiving Event Committee
Stephanie Hsu- Volunteers Lead
Kari Flood- Overall Kitchen Lead
Ken Caplin- Overall Turkey Lead
Dr. Jay Applebaum- Turkey Lead
Ron Sandoval- Potatoes Lead
Scott Friedman- Gravy Lead
Joshua Matua- Stuffing Lead
Michele Stepp- Vegetables Lead
Jeannie Tran- Pies/Drinks Lead
Mai Bui- Pies/Drinks Lead
Jaraset Garcia- Utensils Lead
Michelle French- VIP Lead
John Alba- Event set-up Lead
Jeff Jaster- Logistics Lead
Tim McDonald- Logistics Lead
Conrad Diaz- Lead
Laurie Diaz- Lead
Ally Stepp- Lead
Brian Ruddy- Event Day
Roger Friedman- Logistics Director
Keerstin Preijers- Kitchen Director