SCAN’s Independence at Home to Deliver Thanksgiving Meals and Care Packages to Older Adults and People Experiencing Homelessness

Annual tradition brings together SCAN employees, community volunteers and healthcare teams to spread holiday cheer across select Southern California cities

LONG BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Independence at Home, a SCAN community program that provides no-cost services to older adults and their caregivers, will lead SCAN’s 32nd annual Thanksgiving meal delivery on Wednesday, November 25. The event will bring together employees, their families, community volunteers and SCAN healthcare teams to deliver 1,000 holiday meals to older adults and people experiencing homelessness in Cerritos, Long Beach, San Pedro, Anaheim and surrounding communities.

For the first time, the event will be held in the City of Cerritos at the Cerritos Park East Community Center, where volunteers will prepare Thanksgiving care packages for delivery. Each package will include a meal and a handwritten card from a SCAN employee, adding a personal touch to every visit.

This year, the tradition will expand to serve people experiencing homelessness through deliveries made by Healthcare in Action, SCAN’s nonprofit street medicine group. Its clinical teams will personally deliver Thanksgiving meals to unhoused patients in surrounding communities, extending the holiday initiative to individuals who may otherwise spend the season alone.

Healthcare in Action is the largest street medicine provider in California and brings healthcare, behavioral health, housing navigation and other services directly to people experiencing homelessness. Its participation in this year’s event reflects a shared commitment across SCAN’s healthcare and community service organizations to reach people who face barriers to care and social connection.

“For more than three decades, this tradition has brought our employees, families and community together around a simple but meaningful act of kindness,” said Aiko Tan, Director, Independence at Home. “We’re excited to bring the event to Cerritos for the first time and to have our colleagues at Healthcare in Action join us in reaching even more people who could use some extra care and connection this Thanksgiving.”

“People experiencing homelessness often face profound isolation, especially during the holidays,” said Benjamin Kaska, Chief of Integrated Care Delivery, Healthcare in Action. “Our teams work every day to build relationships with patients who are too often overlooked. Delivering a Thanksgiving meal is another way to show up for them, strengthen those connections and remind them that someone cares.”

Now in its 32nd year, SCAN’s Thanksgiving meal delivery remains one of the organization’s longest-running community traditions. Led by Independence at Home, the effort reflects SCAN’s commitment to supporting older adults and underserved communities through meaningful acts that extend beyond healthcare.

“For someone spending Thanksgiving alone, a meal can offer comfort, but the knock at the door, a handwritten message and the knowledge that someone remembered them can mean even more,” said Pedro Carbajal-Madrid, Clinical Director, Independence at Home. “These small moments of connection can make a meaningful difference, reminding people that they are seen, valued and not alone.”

Media Attendance: Members of the media interested in attending the event please reach out to Seffrah Orlando at sorlando@scanhealthplan.com or 562-508-6781 for additional details and coordination.

About SCAN
SCAN Group is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization dedicated to addressing the biggest issues in healthcare for older adults, including chronic illness, access to care, homelessness, inequities, and loneliness. SCAN Group’s SCAN Health Plan is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans and currently serves over 460,000 members across California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Washington. Independence at Home, a SCAN Health Plan community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors and their caregivers. Since 2020, SCAN has also launched a portfolio of mission-aligned medical groups, including Healthcare in Action, Welcome Health and myPlace Health, each of which focuses on meeting the needs of older adults. Across all its entities, SCAN serves about half a million members and patients. To learn more, visit www.thescangroup.org and www.scanhealthplan.com.

Seffrah Orlando
SCAN Group
+1 562-508-6781
sorlando@scanhealthplan.com
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