CPO stuffs, delivers boxes of Thanksgiving ingredients in 9th annual giveaway

(Alicia Caldera/Daily Bruin staff)
By Alisha Hassanali
Nov. 25, 2024 9:32 p.m.
This post was updated Dec. 1 at 11:05 p.m.
A line wrapped around the Student Activities Center on Wednesday afternoon as UCLA Community Programs Office staff organized and distributed hundreds of food boxes.
At the CPO’s 9th Annual Turkey Food Box Giveaway, staffers from the office handed out food boxes to over 1,000 UCLA community members in need Tuesday and Wednesday. Each food box included a turkey, common ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner and recipes to prepare holiday dishes.
Jaden Oquendo, a CPO staff assistant, said preparation for the event started months prior. The process included gathering items to fill the boxes, printing out recipes and ensuring that community members who applied received boxes, he added.
“We’ve been here long nights, long days, just making sure that we’re doing everything we can so that these boxes are going to have that impact on everyone,” said Oquendo, a fourth-year communication, labor studies and sociology student.
Antonio Sandoval Ayala, the director of CPO, said collaboration with other organizations on campus was also essential to the success of the event. For example, the UCLA Teaching Kitchen provided recipes, recreational staff helped with equipment setup, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Life Mick Deluca helped with publicity.
The CPO faced numerous obstacles in preparing the turkey boxes this year, Sandoval Ayala said. Inflation posed a challenge in providing for more people than ever before, considering limited funding, he added.
“In the past, there’ve been instances where 800 turkeys don’t show up on the day of, and so we have to figure it out,” Sandoval Ayala said. “There’s been times in the past where we’ve had to go shopping for turkeys across Southern California at stores because a shipment didn’t arrive or because delivery was late, and we don’t want to have people waiting.”
Sandoval Ayala added that the CPO is driven by the mission of ensuring that all communities are served. The office provided halal and kosher turkeys – as well as vegetarian alternatives – to be inclusive.
Alvaro Campos, a CPO staff assistant and third-year economics student, said the purpose of the box is also for different cultures and immigrant families to experience an American Thanksgiving meal, something the help of volunteers makes possible.
However, some students said UCLA has a long way to go before CPO is fully supported.
Evelyn Pachuca, the internal chair of the CPO Student Association, said the university needs to work harder to secure funding for the office. She added that, especially as services are picking up after the pandemic, CPO struggles to meet the needs of the community.
“I feel like UCLA could do a little better on advocating for us and for our funding,” said Pachuca, a fourth-year economics student.
Despite the challenges faced by the office, Jiorden King – the chairperson of the CPO Student Advisory Board – said those receiving the boxes were very appreciative.
“You see the smiles on their face,” said King, a third-year psychology student. “I’ve been outside running back and forth, and I’ve heard so many thank yous. … It’s just really heartwarming.”
Oquendo, who worked on the event last year, said one of the most meaningful experiences came from an interaction with a janitorial worker who expressed how impactful the CPO turkey boxes were to her and her family. She told him that she could now take a turkey and a box of food home for her family without worrying about how she would get them.
UCLA staff who are part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, including custodial workers, struck Wednesday and Thursday – the same days as the handout. Some workers alleged that the University does not pay them enough to meet their cost-of-living expenses.
[Related: UC WORKERS STRIKE]
Oquendo said CPO aims to make its space welcome to the UCLA community.
“They feel like this is a home,” he said. “They come into the space, you can clearly see that they feel welcome.”
Sandoval Ayala, who has worked at CPO for more than 16 years, said he can recall turkey recipients crying when they receive the boxes.
“We’re all a part of this,” Sandoval Ayala said. “This is not you doing something of a favor for me. This is us doing a favor for us.”