“Dancing with the Stars” pro Sasha Farber started his Thanksgiving morning by giving back to the Los Angeles community, joining Jennifer Garner at The Midnight Mission’s annual holiday lunch on Skid Row.
“I’m thankful for so many things,” Farber wrote on Instagram. “But most of all, I love giving back and being apart of this incredible organization @themidnightmission… Also @jennifer.garner this has become a little tradition every year ☺️.”
He spent the morning serving meals, greeting guests and working alongside volunteers at the long-running community event.
Jennifer Garner Serves Mashed Potatoes and a Message of Gratitude
Garner, 53, also took part in the holiday service and appeared in a video shared on The Midnight Mission’s official Instagram.
“My name is Jen and today I’m grateful for this beautiful day, for life, for the Los Angeles community who is here taking care of their own, for my family, all the things,” she said.
She encouraged viewers everywhere to help those facing hunger.
“Wherever you live, there is somebody helping feed people who have food insecurity and people who are unhoused. Find those people and help them.”
Garner added that in Los Angeles, “it’s Midnight Mission,” praising the group for serving the community “with love, with dignity, with respect and with heaps and heaps of mashed potatoes, because that’s what I’m in charge of.”
The organization captioned the post: “From Hollywood to Skid Row, it’s all about heart. Thank you, Jennifer Garner, for jumping on mashed potato duty and helping us serve Thanksgiving with dignity, hope, and a whole lot of love.”
Inside Garner’s Thanksgiving Tradition of Giving Back
Garner also marked the holiday with a post about the “crazy things I have done for my job,” including learning woodworking and horseback riding. She shared how much she values those experiences, writing, “I am grateful that my job asks me to learn bits of so many things. Grateful for patient teachers. And am grateful for everyone here who plays along.”
Thanksgiving service isn’t new for her. Last year, she volunteered alongside Ben Affleck and their kids — Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel — a tradition the family has come to treasure.
A source told People they “truly enjoy giving back to their community and cherishing quality time together.”
Affleck has worked with The Midnight Mission for years and has said the service has changed him. “I found that I get a lot out of giving a little bit of my time to other people,” he told People. “I don’t know that it helps them or not, but I know it’s helpful to me.”
