Where to Find Free Thanksgiving 2025 Meals in the Bay Area

The Thanksgiving holiday can be an anxious time for people facing food insecurity.

But this year, the run-up to the holiday season has been even more fraught, as hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — known as CalFresh in the state — saw their payments delayed during the now-ended government shutdown. Federal employees in the region also went without pay during the shutdown, causing demand at Bay Area food banks to soar.

• Jump straight to: Where to find a food bank this Thanksgiving

While CalFresh benefits have finally been restored, many local families remain food insecure as Thanksgiving approaches. And in response, organizations around the Bay Area are getting ready to provide meals to people who need them this holiday season, from hot food to distribution boxes for use at home.

“Everyone is welcome to come — it doesn’t matter what zip code you live in or what your situation is,” Demone Carter, director of community engagement at Sacred Heart Community Services, told KQED in 2024. This San José-based nonprofit offers a food box distribution each Thanksgiving.

Keep reading for a list of more places that are offering either hot meals or food boxes to the community this Thanksgiving week — or jump straight to where to find:

Jump straight to where to find Thanksgiving meals: 

• Free Thanksgiving meals in San Francisco
  
• Free Thanksgiving meals in the East Bay
• Free Thanksgiving meals in the South Bay and Peninsula
  

If you’re hoping to volunteer with one of these organizations this Thanksgiving, look for “For volunteers” below.

Keep in mind that not all groups listed below will serve their Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, but rather a day or two before. We’ll continue to update the list as we find more information.

Looking for a food bank near you instead?

For community members who prefer to take food home on their own schedule, the Bay Area’s food banks and pantries have already begun gearing up to meet community needs for Thanksgiving — after already dealing with several weeks of soaring demand due to the shutdown and SNAP delays.

Calls to the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s hotline skyrocketed in November, said Michael Altfest, the organization’s director of community engagement and marketing — with roughly a third of calls coming from people who hadn’t used a food bank before. The shutdown created “an extraordinary situation,” Altfest said, “and we’ve seen in the past that when there is an emergency like this, it typically hits the more vulnerable communities harder, and it takes them longer to recover from it.”

ACCFB is among the local food banks offering specialty food items as Thanksgiving approaches, based on requests from the community. This year, these items include over 100,000 whole chickens, corn meal, grits, masa, stuffing, fresh cranberries, stock and an increased amount of fresh produce.

Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, a food bank like ACCFB is usually where food is stored in a warehouse, to be delivered to local food programs, which include food pantries. But don’t worry too much about the difference, as food banks specialize in helping connect you to where to actually physically pick up the food itself, and will be clear with you about the best locations near you to do so.

Many food banks have phone hotlines that can assist you in finding food nearby this holiday season. ACCFB’s helpline — 1-510-635-3663, open Monday through Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. — is available in multiple languages and promises to connect callers “to a source for groceries or a hot meal the same day you call us.” You can also search online using ACCFB’s FoodNow.net tool for food sources near you.

The SF-Marin Food Bank has a Food Locator tool to help you find food assistance in San Francisco and Marin, including monthly food boxes for seniors and one-time emergency food. You can also contact their San Francisco office at 415-824-3663 and their Marin office at 415-824-3663.

San José’s Second Harvest has a Find Food online search tool, and you can call their Food Connection helpline at 1-800-984-3663 (or email foodconnection@shfb.org).

Bear in mind that many food banks and their distribution sites may be closed over the Thanksgiving holiday itself. Find a food bank near you in the Bay Area.

For volunteers: Sign-ups for Thanksgiving Day itself are always popular, and ACCFB’s volunteer shifts for the holiday are completely booked — although Altfest recommends checking for cancellations if you’re determined. At this stage of the year, “we’re really encouraging people to look to January, February and March for volunteering,” Altfest said.

If you’re looking to support your local food bank with donations, giving money rather than food itself gives these organizations far more flexibility, as they’re able to negotiate special deals for the food they buy in bulk, at much better prices than you can access as a private customer at a store. Read more tips on how to support your local food bank this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving meals in San Francisco

Martin de Porres House of Hospitality, 225 Potrero Ave.

A late morning meal will be served on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

For volunteers: While the organization has enough volunteers to serve the Thanksgiving meal, people are encouraged to bring a homemade pie to their annual Thanksgiving Pie Drop-Off on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

St. Anthony’s Dining Room, 121 Golden Gate Ave.

Celebrating its 75th year in the Tenderloin, St. Anthony Foundation plans to serve more than 2,000 Thanksgiving meals on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. this year. Doors will open at 7 a.m. for coffee and pastries.

GLIDE, 330 Ellis St.

Following a celebration at Glide Memorial Church, Thanksgiving meals of ham, turkey and all the fixings will be served on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For volunteers: The church is accepting donations of frozen turkeys on Nov. 25 and 26 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

CityTeam, 164 Sixth St.

Warm meals will be available for pickup on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, from 8 a.m. to noon.

On Nov. 26, a Thanksgiving Eve brunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while supplies last.

For volunteers: Community members are welcome to bring sides and desserts and help with distribution on Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Thanksgiving meals in the East Bay

East Oakland Collective, 7800 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland

Free Thanksgiving staples and turkeys will be available for pickup on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while supplies last.

Expect wait times and lines. First-come, first-served — no advanced registration required.

Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, enter either at 1330 Lakeshore Ave. or 1255 First Ave., Oakland

Warm meals, which include turkey, will be served on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, between noon and 1:30 p.m. for the 40th annual meal this year.

For volunteers: Complete a sign-up form online.

Thanksgiving meals on the Peninsula and South Bay

Sacred Heart Community Service, 1381 S. First St., San José

Food boxes will be distributed on Monday, Nov. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No appointment is required, but you do need to sign up to become a member here.

Martha’s Kitchen, 749 Story Road, San José

Thanksgiving dine-in meals will be available from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, and Wednesday, Nov. 26. Preregistration is available online.

Salvation Army, 200 West Fifth St., Gilroy

Residents of the 95020, 95046 and 95037 zip codes can get drive-through food supplies on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 9 a.m. and a hot Thanksgiving lunch at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

For volunteers: The organization expects to feed 250 families, and is accepting donations and volunteers for both days online.

Samaritan House Martin Luther King Center, 725 Monte Diablo Ave., San Mateo

The whole community is invited to a Thanksgiving Day meal from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27, with all the fixings, music and raffles.