Traditional Thanksgiving is commonly thought of as a sedate family meal. Turkey plus what is known as “All the trimmings,” meaning too many side-dishes, is often just opportunity to indulge in gluttony.
Some may argue there is no better way to spend the day of gratitude whose high point is hunkering down with family members chewing on a dead bird.
No better way to pass the day, unless of course you are a battered women who finds herself homeless and sheltered at “Rachel Women’s Center” on San Diego’s 8th Ave. The shelter for homeless women is just 4 blocks from the famous Hard Rock Cafe.
Hard Rock as a corporation along with manager Mike to realize that little lifts the heart on the day of sharing. It will lift the hearts of those 75 lonely souls by serving a hot holiday meal. They trundled into HR Cafe on a blustery cold winter morning, in search of anything to be thankful for.
Thousands of churches and charity organizations provide those less fortunate among us. But the Rock delivered more. The Rock uplifted an unhappy hearts.
Ladies of all shapes, sizes, ages, nationality and unique backgrounds came to discover that Hard Rock gave them warmer and friendly food feast.
I was there as a Volunteer server. But being a writer, I couldn’t help notice the crowd filled the premises with poor women in search for a home. They were shy at first, then herded themselves into all the booths along the walls until they were full. The women sometimes squeezed 5 to a seat seeking safety of an enclosed space.
The fastest-growing group of homeless people in the United States today are women. Hard Rock was certainly meeting a big change in America. HD is an exemplary leader in recognizing the intrinsic value to society by helping to rescue every battered homeless woman possible if only for a day.
Nobody remembered that they were homeless and that they have been horribly mistreated and abandoned by society that day. Being homeless, jobless and quasi helpless were all forgotten. If only for a few hours, Hard Rock changed lives making Thanksgiving a perfect day of gratitude shared by all.