It was late and they were exhausted.
Hours after the last Thanksgiving dinner had been delivered, Debbie Moreno and Tracey Wright-Grabatin were finishing cleanup duties when the phone rang.
A group of senior citizens had not received their meal. Could they make one more delivery?
Although all Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner (RJTD) volunteer drivers had gone home, the women hopped into Moreno’s pickup truck and made the delivery themselves.
Around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2025, nine seniors received 18 plates of turkey, dressing, green beans, yams, rolls and pumpkin pie.
“They’d been waiting all day for their food,” Wright-Grabatin said. “They were so happy to see us.”
The delivery completed a grueling, 60-plus hour week of volunteer work for Moreno, 67, and Wright-Grabatin, 60. From Sunday through Thursday every Thanksgiving season, they coordinate homebound meal deliveries for the holiday event, which began in 1979.
On Nov. 22, they’ll check into the Henry B. González Convention Center to begin week-long preparations to deliver about 5,000 Thanksgiving homebound meals.
“We try to have all of the meals out the door no later than 1 p.m.,” said Wright-Grabatin, an RJTD volunteer for almost 20 years. “It takes 350 drivers to do all these meals.”
It also takes the tireless dedication of two women who, for years, have used paid vacations to serve the elderly.
“We save a week of PTO so that we are off the week of Thanksgiving and can be down there to fulfill our commitment to the organization,” said Wright-Grabatin, who once worked with Moreno at Wells Fargo. “It’s amazing to be able to give back.”
Moreno agrees. “It makes my heart feel good to give back to someone who doesn’t have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving,” she said.
Moreno is also an RJTD veteran. At the suggestion of a co-worker, she began volunteering in the kitchen more than 20 years ago, thawing frozen turkeys.
The work became so satisfying she recruited three generations of volunteers: a grandchild, a daughter-in-law and a co-worker, Wright-Grabatin.
As time passed, Moreno began coordinating homebound meal deliveries. As demand grew, so did the need for more food and drivers. Deliveries increased from 3,752 four years ago to 4,925 in 2025, according to Moreno.
Homebound deliveries comprise one part of the annual event. The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner provides more than 25,000 meals to seniors and those in need.
Last year, a growing number of unhoused seniors prompted the organization to serve an additional 4,000 meals, bringing the total number of meals served to 29,000.
To fulfill their mission, Moreno and Wright-Grabatin rise early and stay late. A typical volunteer day begins at 6:30 a.m. — though Thanksgiving Day begins at 5:30 a.m. — and ends around 7 p.m.
“There have been times we’ve left at 8:30 or 9 o’clock,” Wright-Grabatin said. “It’s a very long week. It’s like 25,000 steps a day all over the convention center. Up and down. Back and forth. I’m exhausted.”
The women recruit volunteer drivers, take delivery orders, review delivery lists and organize three driver loading stations. They review food items being processed for each order and coordinate deliveries to apartment complexes, senior centers, homes and a hospital.
What happens if drivers call in sick or don’t show up? Moreno and Wright-Grabatin created a contingency plan. After completing deliveries, drivers call to see if they’re needed to fill in for no-shows.
“It’s exhausting,” said Moreno, a Wells Fargo Executive Assistant. “But we know we’re sending out food to people, to families, that might not have a Thanksgiving dinner.”
Despite meticulous planning and long hours of work, mistakes occur. Last year, for example, one delivery was sent to the wrong senior center. One set of elderly residents received an unexpected treat. Another set was left hungry.
A director from the overlooked center called King’s Compassion, a nonprofit that serves homebound seniors. In response, Kings Compassion CEO Rose Reyes phoned Moreno.
By then, all volunteer drivers were gone. So Wright-Grabatin and Moreno loaded food into Moreno’s Chevy Silverado and sped off to Woodlawn Pines, an income-restricted, senior housing community on West Ashby Place.
“They were so precious to have done that,” Reyes said. “They definitely went above and beyond our expectations.”
Above and beyond is so routine it has become muscle memory. When the calendar turns and the weather cools, mind and body know what’s coming: long days and gratifying work. Whatever it takes to deliver holiday meals for homebound seniors.
To volunteer for the 47th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 26, go to the website and click the sign-up button.
All are welcome to join the dinner at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thanksgiving Day. Doors open at 9 a.m., an all-faith worship service at 10 a.m., then food service, entertainment, and dancing from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
This story first appeared in the San Antonio Report.
