Free Thanksgiving Dinner to be Hosted by Murrieta Mesa, Rotary

Murrieta Mesa High School, the Interact Club and Rotary Club of Murrieta will host their 4th annual “Share the Harvest” Thanksgiving Dinner and Fall Festival from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17.

The free event will be held at , and is open to everyone in the community. Along with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, there will be activities, games, arts and crafts and a jump house available for the children. Entertainment will be provided and includes student dance groups and musicians.

“We’re trying to reach out to the elderly and economically challenged in our community but everyone is welcome,” said Michael Stowe, a math teacher who is organizing the Thanksgiving Dinner.

Stowe is hoping to feed up to 2,000 people. About 1,600 people attended Share the Harvest last year.

Dinner will include turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, drinks, and pies for dessert. In addition, a limited number of Thanksgiving meal boxes will be distributed for families to take home. There is a limit to one per household.

Student volunteers, school staff members, parents, and Rotary members will cook the turkeys, prepare and serve the meals and operate the Fall Festival activities.

The school is asking for donations of nonperishable food items such as canned green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, sweet potatoes, instant mashed potatoes, and instant turkey stuffing, frozen pies and turkeys. All donations may be dropped off at high school office. Any collected items that are not part of the Thanksgiving meal will be donated to local food pantries.

For more information, or to donate to the food drive, contact the school at 951-677-0568 or Michael Stowe at 951-677-0568, ext. 6303.

—Contributed content