Hands exchanging a covered meal tray at a community distribution
2026 Holiday Giving

Everyone deserves a place at the holiday table.

Your holiday gift helps provide meals and turkeys for families facing hardship.

Rooted in faith. Led by the Horn family.

“Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness…”

— Isaiah 58:10 · NLT

One-time holiday gift

$25

Helps provide food for a family’s holiday table

See our community work
From our table to yours.
Donate food

A History of Giving

0+

Free community meals

Reported in 2020

0

Holiday turkeys given

To families over the years

A place at the table. Year after year.

The 2023 Turkey Giveaway · West Oakland

Volunteers and a chef distributing Butterball turkeys at the West Oakland giveaway, with a sign about the relocated location
A pile of frozen Butterball turkeys stacked on boxes during the giveaway
A chef in a white coat handing out turkeys beside crates of water
A chef and volunteers working beside stacks of frozen turkeys
A volunteer holding Oakland Recycles informational flyers during the giveaway
A volunteer facing the distribution line at the turkey giveaway
Matt Horn with first responders and community members in front of Horn Barbecue
Volunteers and community members gathered in front of Horn Barbecue on giveaway day

From Our Table to Yours

A place at the table, one meal at a time.

— The 1720 Initiative

My faith and my family have taught me that what we are given carries a responsibility to serve. Before Horn Barbecue opened its doors, Nina and I were already using food to care for our neighbors. With our team, volunteers, and community partners, that commitment has continued through seasons of growth and hardship.

What began through the Horn Initiative continues today through the 1720 Initiative: feeding people, respecting their dignity, and showing up when it matters.

— Matt Horn

Our Work Is Not Done

By 2020, we had served more than 10,000 free community meals. Over the years, we’ve also given 1,000 holiday turkeys to families. We know what a meal can mean during a difficult season: one less worry for a parent, a family gathered together, and the comfort of knowing someone cares.

This holiday season, we will continue that work. If your family—or a family you know—needs help putting a holiday meal on the table, please reach out so we can learn how we can help.

Thank you for helping us care for the community we love.

A History of Showing Up

A History of Showing Up.

  1. 2020

    Community Meals

    By April 2020, the Horn Initiative had helped prepare and serve more than 4,000 meals to frontline workers and people in need.

    A spring 2020 milestone — not a lifetime total.

    East Bay Express →

  2. 2020

    Valley Children's Hospital

    Matt and fellow volunteers, including Street Royalty Motorcycle Club, prepared and donated approximately 600 barbecue sandwiches for hospital staff in Fresno.

  3. 2022

    Alameda County Community Food Bank

    Donated a masterclass package — including a meal, cookbook, rub, and Made In pan — to the organization's fundraising auction.

    Alameda County Community Food Bank →

  4. Ongoing

    Community Support

    Donated masterclasses and auction experiences supporting Raphael House, along with community feeding partnerships involving the Golden State Warriors' Home Court Assist program and Made In.

    InsideHook →

  5. Ongoing

    Supporting Hospitality Workers

    Participation in Southern Smoke and a 2019 benefit supporting the staff of Bryan Furman's B's Cracklin' Barbecue after a fire.

    Southern Smoke →Eater Atlanta →

  6. Nov 2023

    Serving Through Adversity

    Approximately 150 turkeys distributed the day after fire devastated Horn Barbecue.

    KTVU →Food & Wine →

  7. 2026

    Sixth Annual Turkey Giveaway

    The holiday tradition continues through the 1720 Initiative.

The 2023 turkey giveaway at the relocated West Oakland site after the fire

November 2023

Families Were Counting on Us.

In November 2023, the day after fire devastated Horn Barbecue, we still distributed approximately 150 turkeys. We were grieving and facing uncertainty, but Thanksgiving was approaching and families were counting on us. Their needs remained, and we were grateful we could still serve.

— Matt Horn

KTVU →Food & Wine →

Campaign Updates

From the Campaign.

  • Oct 19, 2026

    The 2026 Turkey Giveaway Is Open for Support

    Our sixth annual turkey giveaway returns this Thanksgiving. Support is now open — contribute, become a sponsor, or volunteer your time to help families put food on the table. Confirmed distribution dates, locations, and details will be posted here as they are set.

Documented Community Work

An Archive of the Work.

Independent reporting, recipient interviews, and the charities’ own records documenting the work behind the 1720 Initiative.

Free Meals, Hospital Support & Pandemic Relief

Thanksgiving Giving

Donated Experiences & Fundraisers

Youth Education

Profiles & References

Raphael House Attendance

Reported meal and fundraising totals are overlapping snapshots from their respective dates and are not summed into a lifetime total. Raphael House articles document attendance and do not establish individual donation amounts. This is a representative archive, not an exhaustive record; coverage does not imply endorsement of this fundraising campaign.

“Thank you for trusting us with the opportunity to serve. We are grateful for every person who gives, volunteers, and helps another family feel remembered.”

— Matt & Nina Horn

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