COSTA MESA, Calif., November 27, 2012 – Attorneys and staff from Rutan & Tucker, LLP, one of California’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, recently joined the ranks of hundreds of other community-minded volunteers who spent some of their Thanksgiving holiday helping prepare and serve meals to 15,000 of their fellow Orange County residents.
The annual event is organized by nonprofit We Give Thanks, Inc., which was founded 26 years ago by Anaheim restaurateur Frank Garcia. He began his Thanksgiving Day tradition by serving a free dinner to families in need in the parking lot of his family-owned restaurant, La Casa Garcia. The event has grown so large that it was moved to the parking lot of the Honda Center in Anaheim seven years ago.
This year, the menu included more than 700 turkeys, more than 600 pounds of Garcia’s special-recipe stuffing, 100 gallons of gravy, more than 10,000 pounds of vegetables and mashed potatoes, and more than 3,000 apple and pumpkin pies.
Rutan & Tucker volunteers participating in the project included partner Roger Friedman, who also is vice president of the We Give Thanks, Inc. volunteer board of directors, plus partners Mike Hornak and James O’Neal, associates Taylor Dalton, Caroline Djang, Ann Levin, Alisha Patterson and Natalie Samarjian, secretary Ceci Solorzano, and former secretary Shelly Russell. Family members and friends of the volunteers also took part.
In addition to providing volunteers for the annual Thanksgiving event, the firm’s continuing involvement with We Give Thanks also includes providing financial support and pro bono legal services.
“The mission of We Give Thanks is to enhance the well-being of the less fortunate in Southern California by making ongoing efforts and contributions to support them,” said Friedman.
“We carry out this mission through various service activities, including bringing our community together on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy a special holiday meal, entertainment, and friendly company of thousands of other people, and also by granting scholarships to help deserving graduating high school students start their college education. I am thankful for the financial support we receive from Rutan & Tucker, all of our other sponsors and donors, and all of our volunteers including my fellow Rutan & Tucker attorneys and staff.”
As part of Rutan & Tucker’s commitment to improving the lives of others in the community, the firm’s attorneys regularly perform pro bono legal work through foundations they have created, and the firm supports more than 200 charitable programs and philanthropic efforts throughout Orange County and in northern California. Financial donations can be made via the website http://www.wegivethanksinc.org/ways-to-give/donate/ or can be sent to We Give Thanks, Inc., PO Box 1687, Anaheim, CA 92815.
About Rutan & Tucker LLP
With offices in Costa Mesa and Palo Alto, Rutan & Tucker is California’s largest full-service business law firm headquartered in Orange County, California. Primary practice areas include business and real estate litigation, corporate and securities law, labor and employment law, intellectual property, real estate, municipal and government agency law, land use law, bankruptcy, condemnation and property valuation, environmental law, and taxation and estate planning. Detailed information about the firm is available at www.rutan.com.
