NOTE TO REPORTERS / EDITORS: GLIDE Foundation is the correct name for the organization at 330 Ellis Street that organizes and provides the Daily Free Meals and other social services and social justice programs. The church, historically called Glide Memorial Church, is one of several programs operated by the GLIDE Foundation. When referring to GLIDE social services and programs, please use GLIDE or GLIDE Foundation, rather than the historical name of the church.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2023
CONTACTS:
Gabriella Deyi, Media Relations Manager, gdeyi@glide.org, (510) 322-0744
Tri Nguyen, Director of Marketing and Comms, tnguyen@glide.org, (415) 608-6237
GLIDE TO SERVE 2,400 MEALS ON THANKSGIVING DAY
WHAT: GLIDE, the iconic organization dedicated to creating an inclusive, just, and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering, poverty and marginalization, will serve a festive holiday meal to community members on Thanksgiving Day. As part of GLIDE’s #ReturnToCommunity initiative, it will be the first indoor Thanksgiving celebration since November 2019, when the pandemic led to outdoor meals in tents.
WHEN: Thursday, November 23, from 11:00AM to 1:00PM. WHERE: 330 Ellis Street; San Francisco, CA 94102
**Media invited (RSVP REQUIRED)
- ● Minister of Celebration, Marvin K. White, will host a Thanksgiving Celebration at 10AM, featuring music from the GLIDE Ensemble and Change Band under the direction of Vernon Bush.
- ● 2,400 meals with ham, turkey, and all the fixings will be served by GLIDE volunteers and staff.
- ● Meals will be served on site and also delivered to neighborhoods across San Francisco.
Additional Holiday Events at GLIDE
- ● Old Navy Kids Shopping Spree: (Media – Invitation Only)
- ○ 90 children from GLIDE’s Janice Mirikitani Family, Youth and Childcare Center (FYCC) will receive a $100 gift card from Old Navy so that they can make their purchases online ahead of time.
- ○ Activities will include a photo booth in Santa’s workshop, goodie bags, ornament and candy cane making stations, along with other activities.
- ● Grocery Bag Giveaway: (Media – Invitation Only)
○ Onsite Packing – Mon. 12/11 & Tues. 12/12 8:30AM-2PM
- GLIDE staff and a limited number of volunteers will fill 5,500 bags of groceries in GLIDE’s parking lot and out at the Resource Hub. Each bag comes with everything needed for a special holiday meal.
- The communities we serve have rich diversity of food culture. To better align our services with these unique food traditions, GLIDE will be offering two types of grocery bags this year – a ‘traditional’ bag with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, oranges, and a bag that serves our Southeast Asian communities, with chicken, rice, tofu, oranges, and dinner rolls.
- ● House of Prime Rib Christmas Eve Brunch:
- ○ Saturday 12/24, 11am to 1pm
- ○ As they have done for more than 25 years, Joe Betz and San Francisco’s
House of Prime Rib will generously provide thousands of pounds of prime rib and all the sides for GLIDE’s popular Christmas Eve Brunch. The brunch is served to as many as 2,500 guests in the outdoor-tented dining room.
- ○ GLIDE will also deliver meals to people across the city.
- ● Christmas Day Celebration:
- ○ Monday 12/25, 11am to 1pm
- ○ GLIDE will serve nearly 2,500 Christmas meals of ham, turkey and all the
fixings, both onsite and throughout the city.
- ○ GLIDE Church Celebration will take place in person and online on Facebook
Live and YouTube at 9 a.m. and a Kwanzaa Celebration will take place at 11 a.m.
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About GLIDE:
GLIDE is a nationally recognized center for social justice dedicated to fighting systemic injustice, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. GLIDE’s integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community empower individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of the most pressing issues including poverty, housing shortages and homelessness, and racial and social injustice.