On the eve of Thanksgiving, families gathered in a long, steady line outside the Galilee Center in Mecca to pick up food baskets with turkeys for their holiday tables, with nearly 300 households served in the first hour — a testament to the rising need and community-driven mission behind the faith-based nonprofit.

At the center of it all, blending in with the volunteers and staff, were co-founders Claudia Castorena and Gloria Gomez, slipping through the gentle bustle as the distribution carried the familiar rhythm of 15 years of service.

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