The Cal Poly Pomona Foundation and Centerpointe Dining Commons partnered with the Poly Pantry and the Basic Needs initiative within the Division of Student Affairs to provide Thanksgiving dinner packages to Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty and staff experiencing food insecurity. Although Foundation Dining Services has offered the option to purchase a fully-cooked Thanksgiving Dinner Package in the past, this year, Centerpointe Dining Commons collaborated with the CPP Basic Needs Initiative to provide the opportunity to gift a complete dinner package to a colleague or donate to a student/employee in need. In addition, the Foundation donated two meal passes to the Poly Pantry for every purchase of a full turkey dinner. The full turkey dinner was priced at $84.95 and included a 10-14lb fully-cooked oven-roasted turkey, home-style turkey gravy, home-style herb stuffing, mashed potatoes, farm to table harvest vegetables from Spadra Farm and much more. This program allowed the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation to donate over 130 turkey dinners to a Bronco in need this holiday season! Thank you to all of our donors and to those who purchased a dinner package. This would not have been possible without our incredible Foundation and Cal Poly Pomona family.
Here is what our Thanksgiving Dinner Package Donees had to say about their meal:
“I do value the contribution from the sponsors, as a student who got the grant. In this tough moment, it means a lot to us.“
“This Thanksgiving banquet was such a blessing. It sincerely made our family appreciate everything we have. Not only did it taste delicious, but it brought so much joy to our souls.”
“We are so appreciative towards all who contributed planning, preparing, making and donating towards this Thanksgiving meal. Our family would not have been able to make a turkey dinner this year due to the coronavirus, and we are fortunate and grateful for this opportunity.”
“Thank you so much for the beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. My family and I really cherished this dinner that we received, for it was not only delicious, but it allowed us to see the positive that has occurred to us during these bleak times. It’s hard to appreciate the small things when negativity seems to have engulfed 2020. It has also allowed us the opportunity to think about how we can affect others with small acts of kindness.”
“Thank you to everyone who made this possible. Me and my children had an amazing Thanksgiving because of the donation. The food was so good. The turkey was so moist, flavorful and everything was super easy to heat up with my kids. My daughter wanted to decorate the table all fancy and we had a great dinner. Thank you again.”
Here is what our Thanksgiving Dinner Package Purchasers had to say about their meal:
“This was the first time our family ordered a Thanksgiving meal because we are very picky. The food was delicious, and it completely cut out the stress of the holiday. We will be ordering again next year.”
“Delicious meal, the most tender and tasty turkey we’ve ever had. Ordering again next year!”
“It was delicious! The turkey was juicy, well-seasoned and perfectly cooked, the vegetables were crisp and tasty, the potatoes were perfectly buttery and fluffy, the rolls were amazing, and don’t even get me started on those pies! I have a small family (four people) and it was the perfect amount, and the leftovers weren’t overwhelming. It exceeded my expectations, and I will definitely recommend this to others!”
“This is the fifth year I have purchased the Thanksgiving Dinner Package and it never disappoints. The best compliment comes from my daughter who said – “Don’t tell grandma, but this turkey is so much better!” Looking forward to the upcoming Holiday Ham Dinner Meal! P.S. I also wanted to add that the people who loaded the box into my car were so nice. It was a brief interaction, but they were so pleasant and happy. A little goes a long way, and that makes a difference.”
