A single mom and her four kids were going to skip Thanksgiving dinner until a nonprofit stepped in. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
A single mom in Watts received a special gift this Thanksgiving, courtesy of a local non-profit.
Gabriella Quiroz works at an adult daycare center and loves her job, but inflation has made preparing a feast for herself and her four children more challenging than ever.
“At this time, it’s really hard to buy food,” she said.
In recent years, she said she’s even had to skip Thanksgiving altogether, which has led to the inevitable questions from her kids, who range in age from four to 23.
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”Why we’re not making a dinner like everybody (else),” they asked her – a tough question for any mom to hear.
“It’s sad,” said Catherine Reyes with Gordon Philanthropies, an LA non-profit that provides free books to needy families. “I know it’s a reality of not only her family, but many families in LA.”
This year, Gordon added something special to the basket of new books they presented to Gabriella. She also received four $100 gift cards and a shopping spree at a local Food4Less store.
Walking through the aisles with a big smile on her face, Gabriella carefully picked out the ingredients of this year’s feast – a traditional Mexican posole. She chose a large can of hominy, two bags of frozen shrimp and some fresh pork.
She also picked out a pumpkin pie and – just because she has extra money this year – a cherry pie because it’s one of her daughter’s favorites.
"My kids are good kids. I love my kids!” she said with a chuckle.
Reyes said Gabriella’s story got the non-profit’s attention because she never lets circumstance or finances get in the way of teaching her kids to enjoy reading. One of her favorite techniques is to have her children read aloud to her while she’s preparing a meal.
“That’s admirable,” said Reyes, “It’s commendable. That’s why we wanted to surprise her.”
Gabrielle has not let her gift dampen her own generosity. She plans to use whatever is left over to buy food for some of her clients at the daycare center.
“When I have more, I have to give,” she explained.
