Thanksgiving for everyone

In what’s become a yearly tradition, the Duc Loi Supermarket had hundreds over for Thanksgiving dinner last week.

On every turkey day for the past seven years, the Mission and 18th Street store has served up free meals to folks in need or with nowhere else to go. The store recruits community volunteers, who help out with food preparation, which takes a week, and with serving the day of.

Owner Amanda Ngo said the meals have become so popular that each year 200 more people show up. Anticipating that, Duc Loi made enough food this year for 1,000. For whatever reason, only 400 people came so volunteers gave what remained to people on 16th, 24th and Capp streets.

Ngo said she wasn’t sure what caused the lower turnout but if there are simply fewer people in need, that’s a good thing.

“I’m happy it happened but it could also be the weather,” she said.

Ngo’s husband Howard originally came up with the idea to serve the holiday dinners as his family had a history of helping the poor in back in Vietnam. She said she’d love it if her son kept the tradition going after they retire and he takes over Duc Loi.

“I hope he will still be doing the same thing,” she said.