Today, we’re shining the spotlight on one of the largest Thanksgiving benefits in the country. Since 1979, the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner has brought the community together to serve thousands of San Antonio seniors, families, and individuals in need at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

While the dinner announced that it will be mobile again this year, we wanted to take a look back at how this massive volunteer-led initiative has impacted the city + what you can expect from this year’s event.

🦃 Impact

The first event served around 200 people but has since grown to serve as many as 25,000 residents.
From food preparation to clean-up, it takes over 4,000 volunteers to make this event possible.
Numerous school districts contribute student-made table decorations and hundreds of students help decorate the convention center every dinner.

🦃 In case you’re wondering what it takes to feed 25,000 people, here’s a breakdown:

9,400 lbs of turkey
6,250 lbs of stuffing
6,250 lbs of green beans
650 lbs of gravy
4,688 lbs of yams
4,688 lbs of cranberry sauce
25,000 dinner rolls
3,000 pumpkin pies

🦃 2021 Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner

There will be 450 volunteers preparing + delivering meals.
Last year, the dinner delivered about 10,000 meals to the community.
This year, they hope to deliver 12,500 meals on Thanksgiving day.

EVENTS

Today

Ethical Chat | Tues., Nov. 23 | 6 p.m.| Virtual | Free | Join local business Compost Queens for a conversation about saving the earth one bucket at a time + the dos and don’ts of composting. 🌱

Wednesday

Bingo Night | Wed., Nov. 24 | 6-10 p.m. | Rebecca Creek Distillery, 26605 Bulverde Rd. | Free | Sip on Texas-made whiskey + try your luck at a game of bingo for a chance to win prizes. 🥃

Thursday

Turkey Trot 5K | Thurs., Nov. 25 | 8:30-11:30 a.m. | Commander’s House at H-E-B’s Arsenal Campus, 622 S. Flores St. | $35+ | Fight hunger with every step this holiday season in honor of the San Antonio Food Bank. 👟

Friday

Movies by the Moonlight | Fri., Nov. 25 | 6-9:30 p.m. | Travis Park | Free | Get in the holiday spirit with a showing of the movie The Grinch, a holiday market + more. 🎞️

Saturday

Small Business Saturday Market | Sat., Nov. 27 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Dollface Den, 3408 N. St. Mary’s St. | Free | Support + shop local makers and artists in celebration of Small Business Saturday. 🛍️

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

MORE SATX FUN HERE

NEWS NOTES

Weather

71º | Partly cloudy | 0% chance of rain

Civic

The City of San Antonio announced its holiday schedule for city services. While City Hall + other municipal offices will be closed on Thurs., Nov. 25 and Fri., Nov. 26, Public safety and emergency services will remain open. You can look at the list of open and closed services here. 🦃

San Antonian

Local artist Jeremy Parsons is one of the eight finalists for the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition in Asheville, NC. He will have the opportunity to perform and compete for a chance to win an EP recording project at Citizens Studios + more. You can read more about the competition here.

Community

The City of San Antonio launched the “Shift to Buy Local” campaign just in time for the holiday season. This new initiative aims to bring awareness to the benefits of shopping at local businesses + its impact on the economy. The city is also working on a ‘buy local’ guide for both business owners and consumers in the city. 🛍️

Development

The San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission approved plans to renovate the Marriott Plaza Hotel near La Villita. The project includes plans to fix the exterior of the hotel + painting and repairs to three historic structures on site. 🚧 (San Antonio Business Journal)

Now Open

A local favorite, Burger Boy has officially opened its fifth location at 4402 S New Braunfels Ave. on the Southside of town. The new burger joint will continue to serve its full menu + offer dine-in and drive-thru services.

Coming Soon

Winter Wonderland ¡Celebración! is returning for its third year at Palo Alto College. The drive-thru light display will have a virtual lighting ceremony on Thurs., Dec. 2 via Facebook + Youtube. The holiday experience is $15 per vehicle and funds raised will go towards the PAC Foundation. 💡

Biz

There's a reason over 3 million people start their day with Morning Brew, the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Morning Brew knows how to keep readers informed + entertained — for free. Check it out. Ⓟ

📸 @saparksandrec

San Antonio Parks and Recreation recently shared an unbe-leaf-able DIY for the holidays. The entire family can make fall luminaries with its quick downloadable tutorial.

Parents can also sign up their children for its Thanksgiving camps for only $3 which includes lunch and snacks. There will be multiple camps hosted across the Alamo City and will have activities like yoga, nature and art projects + more. For registration information click here.

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THE WRAP

‘Tis the season to be thankful. | Photo via Giphy

We just want to take a moment and say we are so thankful for our readers at SATXtoday. We love sharing + celebrating all the things that make the Alamo City so special.

We want to know what you’re thankful for this holiday season. Send us an email or let us know on Instagram. We would love to share your responses with other readers in our Wednesday newsletter.

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