DELANO, Calif. — The second annual Delano Community Thanksgiving Luncheon will take place Nov. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tony’s Firehouse Grill, 502 County Line Road.
The stay-in-vehicle event asks drivers to exit Cecil Avenue near Starbuck’s on Glenwood Street and proceed north to the Firehouse Grill. Volunteers will serve the takeout lunches on the street and vehicles will exit on County Line Road in either direction.
The late Anthony Martinez and former Delano car dealer Dalip Singh began the tradition in 1986 with other groups joining the event in later years until there was a three-year hiatus before it was restarted last year after Singh and Anthony “Tony” Martinez, Jr., spoke of it at the funeral of his father two summers ago.
Martinez, Jr., will be smoking 800 pounds of turkey to be served along with mashed potatoes and gravy to be provided by the Delano Union School District, stuffing and green beans prepared by the Delano Joint Union High School District food services, and pumpkin pies furnished by Delano Community Alliance. Adventist Health Delano is handling tents and tables.
Cooks will be preparing 800 meals.
Volunteers, who must be 18 or older, may gain information and sign up to help by calling Art Armendariz, who is chairman of the planning committee, at (661) 586-2001, or Claribel Gutierrez, (661) 778-3265, he is also coordinating the delivery of meals to the homeless and senior citizens.
A set-up crew for November 25 and servers and a clean-up crew for November 26 are still needed.
