Under stricter regulations and with more people in need, local groups prep for Thanksgiving.

Local organizations are preparing to deliver or provide Thanksgiving dinner – or at least a bag of groceries – to those in need in Monterey County. It’s a difficult undertaking during the pandemic, when human interactions should be at a minimum and when the Food Bank for Monterey County is feeding over 30,000 people monthly, four times the number they served pre-Covid.

Some Thanksgiving events have been canceled or remixed, including an annual Thanksgiving dinner at the Monterey Fairgrounds and a dinner put on by the League of United Latin American Citizens that has taken place every year for nearly three decades in Castroville. Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula canceled its home-delivered Thanksgiving dinner, and the list goes on.

But not everything is canceled. Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley, Salvation Army, ALL IN Monterey and the Veterans Transition Center will deliver dinner to 74 people.

ALL IN Monterey, a grassroots organization that arose during the pandemic, is organizing a meal delivery event called “Love Like Linda” in honor of Linda Dale, a long-time community activist who died in October. They expect to help 4,500 families. (They are accepting donations at Seaside High School’s Noche Buena Street entrance or drop-off barrels at Seaside’s Grocery Outlet. For more information, visit facebook.com/groups/all.in.monterey.)

In the past, the Veterans Transition Center hosted a community dinner. This time they will home-deliver boxes of groceries to roughly 60 families and veterans who have been part of VTC.

Others are providing prepared meals or Thanksgiving-specific groceries.

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church will sponsor a turkey drive-thru, providing a turkey and bag of groceries per family on a first-come, first-served basis. (Located at 221 Kings St., Salinas, at 6pm Tuesday, Nov. 24.)

The city of Monterey, Kiwanis Club of Monterey Foundation and Food Bank for Monterey County will host a drive-thru and walk-up Thanksgiving dinner at the parking lot of Dennis the Menace Park (777 Pearl St.) from 10am-2pm on Wednesday, Nov. 25. They’ll distribute hot and cold meals, including a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Pre-registration is encouraged for planning purposes. They also offer home delivery for homebound residents in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside and Marina.

Register online monterey.org/rec, or by calling Monterey Recreation at 646-3866. For home delivery, register by Nov. 20.

Also on Wednesday, Nov. 25, North Monterey County LULAC will do a free food distribution from 11am-2pm in the parking lot of Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church (11140 Preston St., Castroville).

On Thanksgiving Day, some traditions persist in an adapted format: Dorothy’s Place in Salinas will offer its standard homemade traditional meal for takeout only, from noon-2pm. They expect to serve between 600 and 700 meals. Breakfast will also be available during regular hours, 8:30-9:30am.

Monterey County remains in the Purple Tier – the most restrictive for Covid-19 control – and had more than 13,000 confirmed cases as of the Weekly’s deadline. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided guidelines to celebrate Thanksgiving safely, including wearing masks, keeping a six-foot distance from those who aren’t from the same household and frequent handwashing. But in general, both the CDC and local health authorities recommend celebrating the holiday only with members of your own household.

If you are hosting, the CDC recommends an outdoor event with few guests and disinfecting frequently. If the gathering is indoors, keep the windows open for airflow and limit the number of people preparing food.

For those who are attending a gathering, the CDC recommends you bring your own food and drinks; use disposable plates, utensils and single-use condiments and dressings; and avoid going in and out where food is prepared or handled.