Thanksgiving for the homeless - 29th November 2023

Fifty-five million Americans travelled home for the US Thanksgiving holidays this year. But many people don't have a home, family or enough money.

Some organisations make lunch for them, like the Los Angeles Mission.

This is Micky Giblin's 11th year at the Thanksgiving lunch.

Micky Giblin: "This is my 21st holiday meal with them. So I've been here for 10 years, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So yeah, I'm starting year 11, my 21st visit."

Food prices in the USA went up 10.5 percent this year. The number of homeless people went up 80 percent in 8 years.

The local government in LA is organising houses for homeless people. Mayor Karen Bass wants to continue this.

Karen Bass: "We've been housing people and getting them off the streets immediately. However, there are 46,000 people on the street so it takes a while but we were able to get 18,000 housed this year. More to come next year."

People with a home can find a job. Troy Vaughn was homeless. The LA Mission helped him.

Now, Vaughn's the president of the LA Mission. He's helping the homeless community.

Troy Vaughn: "I ate in the Los Angeles Mission a lot of times during the holidays. So ironic, I'm now full circle, actually serving the meals where I got served, providing beds where I once slept, and so it's pretty amazing actually."

The LA Mission cooked 1,500 Thanksgiving lunches.

Carlos Schmidt usually spends the holiday alone. But he had lunch with other people this year. He's enjoying the day. And he thanks the LA Mission for all its help.

Carlos Schmidt: "Everybody's coming together and they're putting their resources together and they're showing love to people. Especially me, Thanksgiving usually I spend by myself but I'm here, good music playing. Everybody's smiling and enjoying themselves, having a good time."