RAUL JIMENEZ THANKSGIVING DINNER

A decades-long San Antonio Thanksgiving tradition returned Thursday to an in-person event for the first time since 2019.

For the first time in two years, the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner will be in person at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday. Volunteers prepared for the event on Sunday in an effort to have everything ready for the big day.

The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving "Feast of the Heart" Dinner is expected to serve 25,000 at the Henry B. González Convention Center this year.

This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the event which will take place on Nov. 24 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on E. Market St.

This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the event which will take place on Nov. 24 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on E. Market St.

The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner took place on Thursday to make sure those in need enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and here in San Antonio, the annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner aims to help so many families across our community.

SAN ANTONIO – Not even a pandemic could stop the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner this year, but it did need to pivot from a crowded ballroom filled with food and festivities at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center to doorstep deliveries. A spokeswoman said Corazon Ministries and SAMM Ministries also picked up meals to distribute to the city’s homeless population. “You’d be amazed by what happens when people come together for the right reasons,” said Raul Jimenez III, the founder’s grandson. The event started in 1979 by his grandfather, a restaurant owner and businessman, to provide seniors and anyone else in need the Thanksgiving dinners they wouldn’t otherwise have. The long-standing tradition involves serving up 25,000 meals at the Convention Center.

SAN ANTONIO – For four decades, the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner has fed needy residents on Thanksgiving Day. “I think that 2021 will be a little bit better for everybody,” said Raul Jimenez III, the grandson of the dinner’s founder. The church normally distributes frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving, Lara said, but distributing meals for the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner took the place of that effort this year. Some of the church members have been involved in the dinner for the past few years, he said. Jimenez, who actually estimated a lower number of meals that would be delivered this year, sees the bright side.

SAN ANTONIO – The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner, which is usually held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, will be delivering meals to those in need instead of hosting the event in person this year due to COVID-19. And, as of Thursday, planners of the event said it had reached its full capacity for meal requests and has closed registration. Anyone that is still in need of a Thanksgiving meal is urged to contact the San Antonio Food Bank or Meals on Wheels San Antonio for further assistance. Planners of the annual dinner said its goal is to feed up to 10,000 seniors and homeless through its delivery system this year. RELATED: Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner will not be in person this year

click image Instagram / jimenezdinnerRaul Jimenez, who inaugurated the event in SA in 1979, visits with an elderly woman. "We leave with nothing. What counts is what we do in between. I believe in caring and sharing.”Dinner organizers are working with the city to determine how many volunteers they will need this fall, according to the daily. However, they expect fewer than in normal years.Details on the distribution process and volunteer opportunities will be announced on the organization’s website and Facebook page as Thanksgiving nears.

Organizers for the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner said Wednesday the event will not take place in person this year in response to COVID-19 and will instead deliver meals. The event, in its 41st year, usually takes place at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. This year, Jessica Jimenez, the granddaughter of the late Raul Jimenez, said the plan is to deliver 10,000 meals to feed San Antonio's elderly and less fortunate. Raul Jimenez, a restaurateur who died in 1998, started the dinner in 1979 to help feed the elderly who could not prepare their own Thanksgiving meal. The city is allowing the family to use the convention center on Thanksgiving Day to prepare the food.

SAN ANTONIO – Every year, approximately 25,000 people fill the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner. “This year, our goal is to feed up to 10,000 seniors and homeless through a homebound delivery system,” said Jessica Jimenez, Raul Jimenez’s granddaughter. “One of the things that some people might not know about the Thanksgiving dinner is that we’ve actually had a homebound delivery system in our organization for more than 10 years. So, we last year fed close to 3,000 seniors in underprivileged families through homebound delivery where the meals were picked up and then delivered to their home. Related Stories:Julián Castro and family serve at 40th Annual Raul Jiménez Thanksgiving DinnerRaul Jimenez’s daughter leads organizing efforts of San Antonio Thanksgiving tradition

The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner began in 1979 feeding a few hundred people in need. Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalink Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalinkMichael Reed has come to the dinner for three years since losing his mom in 2017, he said. I enjoy coming here, Reed said of the Raul Jimenez dinner. Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalink Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalinkIts good for the people, said Mitchel Schwartz, who has been coming to the dinner for the past five years. Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalink Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalink Bonnie Arbittier / Rivard Report permalinkCouncilman Clayton Perry (D10) said the annual dinner is a unique chance for San Antonians to lend a helping hand.

Senator John Cornyn was in San Antonio on Monday, working with volunteers to prepare turkey dinners for the 40th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner. As the senator volunteered in the kitchen, he also talked with a KSAT crew about the issues facing Congress as they try to work through the impeachment hearings. “I don’t really see why we should be dividing the nation this way, less than a year before the election," Cornyn said. "That’s not the way we ought to choose our leaders, not through the impeachment process." “Trade with Mexico and Canada supports 14 million jobs, so this is an important piece of work,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn: Impeachment hearings 'dividing the nation'Published: November 25, 2019, 6:55 pmSen. John Cornyn said the impeachment hearings are getting in the way of other issues Congress should be focusing on right now.

VIA Partners with Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner to OfferComplimentary Service for Seniors 55 or OlderSAN ANTONIO (Nov. 12, 2019) VIA Metropolitan Transit is proud to partner once again with the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner to provide complimentary transportation for senior citizens. Seniors (ages 55 or older) can enjoy complimentary rides to and from the event at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. The transportation, provided courtesy of event organizers, includes regular line service, as well as VIAtrans service for registered patrons. When boarding, passengers who inform the operator that they are attending the Jimenez Dinner, and present a VIA Senior Citizens ID card or identification with proof of age, ride free. Seniors who would like additional information regarding routes and scheduling on Thanksgiving Day may call (210) 362-2020.

Preparations are now underway for the 40th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner. The goal of the traditional dinner is to provide senior citizens and the less fortunate with a place to enjoy a hot turkey plate with all the trimmings.

Preparations are now underway for the 40th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner. The goal of the traditional dinner is to provide senior citizens and the less fortunate with a place to enjoy a hot... Copyright 2019 by KSAT - All rights reserved.