On Sunday, November 19, the Karsh Center community came together for our 16th Annual Big Give, one of our biggest and most far-reaching events of the year. 

Once again, hundreds of Karsh Center Volunteers, Collaborators, and Staff came together to share 1,000 Thanksgiving meal kits with our community, helping an estimated 4,000 people across Los Angeles experience a Thanksgiving meal of their choosing. 

“Their choosing” was a key element once again at this year’s Big Give, which for the second year embraced the “client choice model.” Once greeted and checked in, our guests were given a Big Give tote bag, and walked through our space to select items at different food stations, to best account for their tastes and what would be easiest for them to prepare and enjoy. For example, guests could elect between fresh russet potatoes or mashed potato flakes, or choose to take home gravy or Korean curry or sazon seasoning. If a whole turkey was too much to take on, we had whole chickens instead, as well as tofu for our guests who preferred a vegetarian option and whole cooked turkey breasts for guests without access to a kitchen set up. 

This model centered our guests’ experiences and honored the dignity of choice, and the response we continue to receive reinforces this important approach.

“I commend [the Karsh Center]! You are well organized, respectful, and caring. Thank you!”

“Thank you because everything went up in price and salaries remain the same. For people like me who aren’t working right now, it helps a lot.”

“I’m so happy because it’s my first time making thanksgiving food in the USA.”

It truly took a village to bring Big Give 2023 to life. 

Thank you to our generous donors and sponsors Waymo, Spectrum, Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, and PCB Bank for their support of Big Give and investing in food and nutrition security in our community. 

Thank you to the 317 volunteers who shared more than 840 hours with Big Give, by helping at Big Give Sunday, as well as helping plan the event and doing Big Give-related volunteer activities at home. 

Thank you to Wilshire Boulevard Temple Staff, Facilities, and Security for creating the backbone support to set up and hold this Big Give, keep us safe, and host a warm and welcoming environment for all.

Thank you to our Collaborators and friends at F.E.A.S.T., Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), Koreatown Youth + Community Center (KYCC), Linc Housing, Pacific Clinics, QueensCare, and West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (WHCHC) for participating in Big Give and making sure that the Thanksgiving meal kits reached more families across the city. An additional thanks to Silverlake Food Pantry, UCLA Homeless Healthcare Collaborative, and the VA for ensuring that essential kits and no-sew blankets prepared by volunteers reach those who need them the most. 

Check out our Big Give photo gallery below to see some of the highlights of this special day!