SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Many families on the Central Coast depend on your help and the Holidays can be especially hard. So, Central Coast News is teaming up with local shelters and food bank for the 8th annual turkey drive this Friday.
The Good Samaritan Homeless Shelter in Santa Maria provides a bed and basic necessities for homeless clients throughout the year but for former client, Jessica Guess, the shelter has given her a new life.
"They gave me a life I didn't know," says Guess. "My parents were addicts and I was an addict. When I came here they showed me it's ok to be sober."
Guess now works for the shelter as an employee. She has lived here for a little more than a year.
The shelter currently serves 107 clients but only has 90 beds. It depends on the "Turkey Drive" on Thanksgiving night.
"We've been getting phone calls like crazy for people who are looking for where they are going to get their Thanksgiving turkey from and we really don't wan to turn anybody away," says Good Samaritan Employee Christie Alarcon.
"That's our goal to be able to feed as many families as possible."
A goal, Guess wants to help the shelter reach. She was at Good Samaritan for last year's turkey dinner.
"It was quiet an experience. Lots of people at delicious turkey, good stuffing, lots of people had their own recipes," says Guess.
In addition to having her own dinner, Guess also helped cook 20 turkeys and prepare Thanksgiving dinner for others just like her, searching for a hot meal.
"Felt like my contribution to making it was worth the while," says Guess. "There are 100 people on this campus alone that eat that turkey dinner that are truly grateful."
For every ten dollars donated to The Good Samaritan, the shelter is able to purchase one turkey.
