Oakland market hosts annual Thanksgiving community dinner
OAKLAND -- Two Star Market grocery on MacArthur Blvd in Oakland is more than just a store.
It's place of community says Aleja Rambonga, one of the organizers for the market's 21st annual Thanksgiving community dinner.
"At Thanksgiving we don't do a dinner because we do this for the community," Rambonga said.
She explained that every dish and beverage plus the effort to prepare the meal comes from the people of Oakland.
The man behind it all is Farouq Alawdi, whose family purchased the market 40 years ago.
Bernadine, who has lived in Oakland since the 1990s, said this dinner is where she found her chosen family.
With a thousand plates prepared, the organizers at Two Star Market say that, in a few years, they hope to have multiple dinners and locations across Oakland.
"Us and the planning team are really looking forward to debriefing after this and are thinking about how to do that for next year," Rambonga said.