Here are 4 places in Carlsbad to get a Thanksgiving meal or donate for the holiday season

Only about 44% of Americans said they could afford a Thanksgiving dinner, grappling with financial woes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising food costs.

And about 10% or 3.5 million households in the U.S. were “not at all confident they could provide the traditional annual meal, read a study from the Center for Civic Policy published Nov. 18, 2020, using 10-year Census date released that year.

In Carlsbad, numerous nonprofits and charities sought to provide for those in need, offering Thanksgiving meals onsite and donated supplies for feasts at home.

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Here are four places to get a Thanksgiving meal in Carlsbad this year.

Trinity Hotel and Restaurant offers ‘blessing meal’

A popular local eatery and bed and breakfast, the Trinity has offered its annual Thanksgiving meal for 10 years.

It’s completely open to the public from 11 to 1 p.m. on Nov. 22 and features turkey and all the fixings and desert.

No reservations are required to dine at the restaurant at 201 S. Canal St. near Carlsbad’s downtown area.

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Deliveries are also available for those in need.

Last year, the Trinity served 685 meals at the event known as the “blessing meal,” said spokesperson Toni Balzano.

“It’s our way of blessing the community,” she said.

Carlsbad Community of Hope Center serves Thanksgiving for those in need

From 2 to 6 p.m., Carlsbad’s Hope Center at 1314 S. Canal St. will offer a full Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 22.

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It will include deep-fried turkey and ham, along with classic sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and deserts.

Last year, the Hope Center said it served about 50 to 75 people, and partners with local youth sports teams for volunteers to serve the meal.

Operation Hope, Boys and Girls Club offers Thanksgiving baskets

Volunteers are needed for Operation Hope’s Thanksgiving food drive being conducted this year with the Carlsbad Boys and Girl’s Club.

Donations are being collected from Albertsons and Walmart on Nov. 11 and 12 and being picked up from local businesses on Nov. 17.

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Those interested can volunteer to help with basket preparation on from 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Boys and Girls Club at 1602 W. Fox St., and baskets will be handed out from 7 to 11 a.m. on Nov. 18.

Donations are being taken for canned goods like gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, along with other favorites like stuffing, cornbread, rolls and macaroni and cheese.

Anyone interested in volunteering to collect donations or put together the baskets can contact Operation Hope or the Boys and Girls Club via phone or on Facebook.

Catholic churches gathering Thanksgiving foods for local families

St. Edwards Catholic Church, in conjunction with Our Lady of Grace Catholic Parish in Loving, is also collecting donations of Thanksgiving items and distributing baskets to its parishioners in need.

Donations are being accepted at both churches, with boxes set up at the entrances and collections at the St. Edwards parish hall.

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St. Edwards is at 205 N. Guadalupe St. in Carlsbad, and our Lady of Grace is at 302 S. 4th St. in Loving.

Volunteers can help assemble the baskets on Nov. 21 and pass them out on Nov. 22.

The baskets will include a full meal, including turkey or ham and all the fixings. Monetary donations can also be made and will be used by the church staff to buy turkeys if needed.

The amount of food in a basket will be adjusted based on the size of the family.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: 4 places in Carlsbad to get a Thanksgiving meal or donate