Big Sunday nonprofit hands out 4,000 bags of food in Studio City

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About 2,000 volunteers from across Southern California came together Wednesday, Nov. 27, to assemble and hand out 4,000-plus bags of food in Studio City to kick off Big Sunday’s 13th annual Thanksgiving Stuffing Event, known as a “festival of gratitude.”

Dave Cooper, an Encino resident, was encouraged by a tennis buddy years ago to get involved with the Los Angeles nonprofit Big Sunday.

“Big Sunday is like the heartbeat of Los Angeles,” said Cooper, dressed in a turkey costume to entertain the crowd. “Every time I come to a Big Sunday event, I meet people from all over the city and it makes me feel like I’m part of this big city helping other people out.”

Each bag of food, which included fresh produce, served a family of four. The bags are distributed to more than 100 schools and nonprofits in Southern California, helping struggling families, homeless people, veterans, seniors, victims of domestic violence, those with special needs, runaway youth and others.

Volunteers sort cookies to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Volunteers drop off bags of food to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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Elaine Hauber of Sherman Oaks puts out boxes of stuffing to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The 13th annual event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Hundreds of volunteers help gather the makings for a complete Thanksgiving meal together to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Volunteers make Thanksgiving greetings to be added to bag of food to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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Thanksgiving greetings ready to be added to bags of food to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Volunteers collect bags of food to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Bags of food to be distributed to the needy by local organizations on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. The event was organized by Big Sunday, who brought hundreds of volunteers together at Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff bags with food for 4,000 families over the holiday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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The event took place on “Residential Street,” part of the iconic film and television studio lot at Radford Studio Center in Studio City. Individuals and groups collected hundreds of pounds of food by hosting food collections that were dropped off at Big Sunday’s headquarters. Other volunteers made cards for each bag, or collected cash donations.

Organizers expect at least 16,000 people would benefit. “This has been such an emotional time,” said David Levinson, Big Sunday’s founder and executive director and author of the book “Everyone Helps, Everyone Wins: How Absolutely Anyone Can Pitch In, Help Out, Give Back, and Make the World a Better Place.”

“And whether one is delighted or devastated by this month’s election, I think most people are looking forward to sharing a day where we celebrate our differences while uniting for a common goal,” Levinson said.

Nikki Cotton, a Carson resident, has been volunteering for 15 years. She got started when her children, who attended an all-boys school, were required to participate in a community service.

“They had such a wonderful time,” she said, and they stayed with Big Sunday throughout their high school years. “It’s that feeling of giving back and it’s community helping build community; that is the thing that keeps me coming back to Big Sunday.”

Los Angeles-based Big Sunday was launched in 1999 with 300 volunteers and has touched 1 million-plus lives, according to its officials.