In 1985, the San Luis Obispo Jewish community started a yearly tradition of providing a delicious Christmas Day meal to those experiencing homelessness. In 1997, Sheri Eibschutz and Naomi Blakely began organizing this event and shortly thereafter, decided to dramatically transform it. Since 1998, the SLO Community Holiday Feast (previously known as-the Christmas Dinner for the Homeless) has been a means of outfitting the local unhoused community with new sleeping bags and warm winter clothing to help them survive our cold, wet winters. The Care Packages for Christmas campaign was started to obtain this merchandise.

While the Jewish community continues to be the backbone of this event, it has expanded considerably as the SLO community at large has graciously joined the effort and embraced this program. Numerous community members of all denominations help make this happen and the support of local businesses has been invaluable.

In early 2020, when the pandemic arrived, the number of unsheltered had already been growing steadily throughout the state. With the unhoused being one of the most vulnerable populations affected by COVID-19, we knew our program must carry on. For the safety of our guests and volunteers, we devised a plan to send meals and care packages out to those in need including many housed families that were struggling. Our fear that the pandemic would leave us with an insufficient number of volunteers to care for the unhoused that Christmas was unfounded. The SLO community came through like never before.

Since 2023, we have returned to providing a sit-down decadent Christmas Day meal with live entertainment. We also continue to send out hundreds of meals and care packages throughout the County to both unhoused individuals and also housed families in need.

The SLO Community Holiday Feast is a heart-warming community-wide effort that speaks volumes about the generosity of San Luis Obispo’s residents.