SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — There is one less thing for hundreds in Sherman Heights to worry about after a turkey distribution provided them with a Thanksgiving meal.
"It makes me happy because the whole world will have something to eat. Because there's a lot of people who can't. It makes me happy because there are a lot of volunteers," said Lydia Barrios Leyva.
She is grateful to walk away with a Thanksgiving meal.
She said this year has been very difficult with the pandemic.
Barrios Leyva said without the event, she would not have been able to buy one.
"I don't have a lot of money to buy a turkey. They are very expensive. The turkeys are very expensive this year. I've never seen them this expensive," she explained.
About 200 families like Lydia's were touched at the Sherman Heights Community Center, but that's just scratching the surface.
U.S. Census Bureau data shows that nearly 50 percent of the people that live in the zip code that Sherman Heights is located in make less than the median income for San Diego County.
"There are families at our school who have struggled to provide for their family to see how difficult that can be. It's oftentimes difficult choices that families have to make that you can't even imagine," said Gabriel Collins, a volunteer.
Collins is the principal of King Chavez Academy. It's located about a mile away from the community center the turkey distribution was hosted at.
He was volunteering at the event alongside some of his students.
He said seeing families with smiles on their faces feels wonderful.
"Having connected with some of our families who have benefitted from opportunities like this. It really does make all the difference. It can really make the difference between connecting with their family for the holiday or not," he explained.
Barrios Leyva was grateful for volunteers like him.
"Thank you to those who are helping and everything," she said.
She plans to feed fifteen people with the turkey she walked away with.
