SCAN expands Thanksgiving meal delivery to Cerritos and people experiencing homelessness

SCAN’s Independence at Home will mark its 32nd annual Thanksgiving delivery on Nov. 25 by distributing 1,000 holiday meals across several Southern California cities. For the first time, the effort will include unhoused people through Healthcare in Action, broadening the holiday outreach beyond older adults and caregivers.

Why it matters: - The annual meal delivery reaches older adults, caregivers and people experiencing homelessness who may otherwise spend Thanksgiving alone. - The effort combines food, handwritten notes and in-person visits, which SCAN says can help reduce isolation and strengthen connection. - The expansion to unhoused patients extends SCAN’s holiday outreach beyond its longtime senior-focused program.

What happened: - Independence at Home, a SCAN community program for older adults and caregivers, will lead SCAN’s 32nd annual Thanksgiving meal delivery on Wednesday, Nov. 25. - SCAN employees, their families, community volunteers and healthcare teams will deliver 1,000 holiday meals in Cerritos, Long Beach, San Pedro, Anaheim and surrounding communities. - The event will be held in the City of Cerritos for the first time at the Cerritos Park East Community Center. - Volunteers will prepare Thanksgiving care packages for delivery from that site. - Each package will include a meal and a handwritten card from a SCAN employee. - Healthcare in Action will deliver Thanksgiving meals to unhoused patients in surrounding communities.

The details: - Healthcare in Action is SCAN’s nonprofit street medicine group. - Healthcare in Action is the largest street medicine provider in California. - The group brings healthcare, behavioral health, housing navigation and other services directly to people experiencing homelessness. - The organization’s clinical teams will personally deliver meals to unhoused patients. - SCAN framed the participation as a shared commitment across its healthcare and community service organizations to reach people facing barriers to care and social connection. - SCAN said the Thanksgiving delivery remains one of the organization’s longest-running community traditions. - Independence at Home provides no-cost services to older adults and their caregivers. - SCAN Group is a mission-driven not-for-profit focused on issues including chronic illness, access to care, homelessness, inequities and loneliness. - SCAN Health Plan serves more than 460,000 members across California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Washington. - Across all of its entities, SCAN serves about half a million members and patients.

Between the lines: - The move to Cerritos signals a broader community footprint for a program that has traditionally centered on older adults. - Adding Healthcare in Action brings medical teams into a holiday program that is also about social connection, not just meal delivery. - The handwritten cards and door-to-door visits show SCAN is positioning the event as relationship-building as much as charity.

What's next: - SCAN will carry out the Thanksgiving delivery on Nov. 25. - Media interested in attending can contact Seffrah Orlando at sorlando@scanhealthplan.com or 562-508-6781 for coordination. - SCAN points readers to the company’s website and SCAN Health Plan for more information.

The bottom line: - SCAN is using its 32nd annual Thanksgiving tradition to deepen its community reach, adding a new delivery hub and serving unhoused people for the first time.