Hundreds of residents lined up outside the Newhall Community Center Monday night and the Canyon Country Community Center Tuesday night to dive into a warm Thanksgiving meal with their family and friends.  The city of Santa Clarita has hosted community Thanksgiving dinners annually for close to 20 years, according to Yolanda Ledezma, Newhall Community Center supervisor.   Ledezma said that with the help of many volunteers, they are able to serve warm meals to nearly 500 people each night they host the dinner.   “This is an opportunity for the community to come and get a nice meal, sit down with their family and not have to cook. They can come and enjoy a high-quality meal,” said Ledezma.   Steven Keefe, a representative from event sponsor Parkway GMC, said that his partner, Bob Bakshi, and he enjoy sponsoring this event every year because it is a good way to give back to the community.   He said that over the past 20 years he has seen the event grow in numbers and the connections that are made between residents who come.   “This is what life is all about,” said Keefe. “It’s about sharing and giving back. We need this more than ever right now.”   Tina Lin, a resident who attended the Newhall Thanksgiving dinner, said she decided to bring her two daughters, Lilian Chen, 6, and Makayla Chen, 3, to dinner because her husband would be out of town, and she wanted to be around friends to celebrate the holiday.   Lilian Chen, 6, eager to dive into her Thanksgiving meal at the Newhall Community Center on Monday evening. Katherine Quezada/The Signal Lin said it was amazing how the city made an effort to bring together everyone in the community. To look around and have so many different people is why Lin said she loves living in Santa Clarita.   Veronica and Jeremy Shriver attended the Canyon Country Thanksgiving dinner with their son Jack Shriver, 4, and daughter Irah Shriver, 7. Jeremy Shriver said it was amazing to see how the city cares for the people in town.   Veronica Shriver said her family had just recently moved to Santa Clarita and when they heard about the dinner they couldn’t wait to attend it.   Local resident Dennis Becerra fills two plates up with food while carrying his daughter Danielle Becerra, 4, at the community Thanksgiving dinner at the Canyon Country Community Center on Tuesday evening. Maya Morales/The Signal “I’ve never been to a city where they do something like this for their residents,” said Veronica Shriver.  Their daughter Irah said she was excited to have some pumpkin pie as she waited in line glancing at all the choices ahead of her, holding her mom’s hand.   Jack couldn’t decide what he was more excited to try since it was his first time having all these options. He filled his plate with turkey, mashed potatoes, string beans, salad, and bread to decide what he liked best later.   Another new resident, Jessica Cardenas, also commented on how nice it was to feel a sense of community during Thanksgiving, and it was beautiful to see the room filled up with families and friends.   “Truly, everyone is so happy,” said Cardenas. “You look in and everybody’s saying hi to each other.”  She added that being able to bring her daughter around new people and feel welcomed will be a memory she will cherish. Seeing her daughter smile and have a great time was remarkable for her.   City of Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda (left) and Councilwoman Laurene Weste fill hundreds of people’s plates with food at the Thanksgiving community dinner at the Newhall Community Center on Monday. Katherine Quezada / The Signal Councilwoman Laurene Weste and Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda volunteered to serve food at the Newhall Community Center. Weste said that she has helped out at every single dinner since it began.   “It was exciting because the neighborhoods started to turn out and people were happy,” Weste said about the first Thanksgiving dinner. “They brought their children, and it was joyful for them to be able to connect.”   Every year since then the dinners have gotten busier and busier, Weste said. More and more families have made it a tradition to come and have their dinners at the event.  Weste added that her favorite memory from volunteering is how excited the children get to be served the food.   “The children are just amazing. They put their plates up and their little faces light up. They have a wonderful time and it’s joyful to be able to assist with that,” said Weste.   Miranda said it was his eighth year volunteering, and he felt honored to be able to give back to his community. He said watching families come to their home away from home to enjoy a dinner with their neighbors was incredible and inspiring.   Councilwoman-elect Patsy Ayala serves turkey to Jeremy Shriver, local resident, at the community Thanksgiving dinner at the Canyon Country Community Center on Tuesday evening. Maya Morales/The Signal Councilwoman-elect Patsy Ayala volunteered to serve plates at the Canyon Country Community Center and said that this event showed the city is one community all together.   “I really enjoy seeing the families and the kids in one place and giving thanks for the wonderful things that Santa Clarita has to offer them,” said Ayala.   Many of the attendees mentioned to volunteers that the dinner was amazing, and they were looking forward to next year’s celebration.   The post City hosts community Thanksgiving dinners  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.