Volunteers at the Bakersfield Homeless Center have been busy peeling 500 pounds of potatoes and preparing other foods ahead of this weekend’s Thanksgiving meal. Spokeswoman Cindy Lyday says it’s the first of two traditional meals they serve for the holiday, and this one is open to anyone who needs a hot meal, not just their residents. But Lyday notes the Homeless Center still desperately needs turkeys and hams for Sunday afternoon’s feast, and perhaps a few more pies and whipped cream. The facility is at 1600 E. Truxtun Avenue in east Bakersfield.

Suzanne Grant