What It's Like To...

What it's like to Serve Thanksgiving Dinner to 25,000 People


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Most of us feel overwhelmed cooking and serving Thanksgiving dinner for our own extended families. Imagine doing it for 25,000 people!  That’s what the Raul Jimenez Dinner in San Antonio, Texas does each Thanksgiving.  It started in 1979 with an idea to serve senior citizens, and has grown to become the largest Thanksgiving dinner under one roof in the United States.  This “feast of the heart” is run by volunteers and funded by donations as small as $5 or some canned goods. One man’s dream has become an entire city’s tradition.

What does it take to pull this off?  

  • More than a year of planning
  • 4000 volunteers
  • 3000 pumpkin pies
  • 6000+ pounds each of green beans and yams
  • 550 24-pound turkeys
  • … and a whole community's commitment and love.


Want to know more about the Raul Jimenez Dinner?

  •  Visit their website at rauljimenezdinner.com


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What It's Like To...By Elizabeth Pearson Garr