A True Community Effort: 4,500 Thanksgiving Meal Bags Provided to Families in Need

Beth Chambers, Vice President of Basic Needs, can still remember her early days working at Catholic Charities Boston, driving around to grocery stores in November to purchase turkeys for a dozen or so families facing food insecurity around Thanksgiving.  

“Recently, I heard someone mention a pop-up shop and that’s exactly what we did at Thanksgiving for a number of years; we would take our trucks and turkeys and drive to parking lots in Mattapan and East Boston and Charlestown and unload there to give out to families in need,” said Beth, who has watched Catholic Charities Boston’s Thanksgiving Distribution grow from a small team effort to the massive operation it is today.  “Then, we go to today where we can do everything right here on our sites and take care of thousands of families every year at Thanksgiving in ways we couldn’t before.” 

While the number of people served has skyrocketed over the years, so has the number of community members stepping up to help. In 2024, 4,500 Thanksgiving meal bags were distributed across six sites in Dorchester, Brockton, Lynn, Lowell, and South Boston through the coordinated efforts of several non-profits and hundreds of volunteers and supporters across the community.  

Volunteers from the Yawkey Foundation, Boston College Woods School, and Catholic Charities Boston’s trustees gathered at the Catholic Charities Yawkey Center Friday, November 22 to pack meal bags containing 14,000 pounds of stuffing, potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes provided by the Greater Boston Food Bank. Earlier in November, Boston College student-athletes and administrators packed over 3,000 meal bags with non-perishable items in support of distribution efforts.

Among the Friday night volunteers were delivery truck driver Jon and his teenage daughter Kala, who had spent three days driving 1,000 turkeys donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Boston from Utah. Actively involved in church back home, they stayed for hours, assisting food pantry staff to organize and move produce. “It’s what we do,” said Jon.    

Distribution kicked off at the Yawkey Center in Dorchester on Saturday, November 23 in partnership with the United Way of Mass Bay’s Gratitude Project Holiday Food Essentials Distribution Initiative. Earlier this month, United Way recognized Beth as the first recipient of the Gratitude Project Leadership Award for her longtime partnership with the organization and her unwavering dedication to serving those in need over the past 30 years. 

Despite each client registering weeks in advance to receive a ticket to get food, lines at the distributions begin in the early hours. “People started lining up at 4 in the morning–––every year we say, ‘you don’t have to line up so early, we will get you a turkey no matter what time you get here,’ but it goes to show the desperation that people feel,” said Kelley Tuthill, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Boston.  

New Archbishop of Boston Richard Henning and Mayor Michelle Wu joined the distribution at Yawkey, as well as State Senator Liz Miranda, Councilor Ed Flynn, City Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy, State Rep. Christopher Worrell, Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia, and Councilor Brian Worrell. 

On Monday, November 25, city and state representatives continued to provide support, with Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan visiting Catholic Charities South’s distribution, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson greeting volunteers in Lynn, and Senator Nick Collins and State Rep. David Biele showing their support at the Labouré Center.    

For many clients, the Thanksgiving meal bag not only helps feed their family over the holiday but serves as a reminder that they have a support system at Catholic Charities.  

“All I can say is thank you, Catholic Charities, for keeping me fed, keeping me mobile, and giving me that sense of hope,” said Omar Lopez, who received a gift card to purchase a turkey and Thanksgiving sides for himself and his roommate over the holiday. “There’s still hope that when this is all over, I can be that guy who gives back. If I ever hit a lottery win, Catholic Charities will be the first place I go.”

To learn more about how you can support Catholic Charities Boston’s clients in need, click here.