Area food pantries and other organizations that are helping provide Thanksgiving dinners to the less fortunate are finding the need growing and facing steep challenges with higher prices for food and other expenses due to inflation and supply chain issues.
“The prices of everything are just outrageous,” said Danielle Saccone, vice president of the Attleboro Moose Lodge. “It’s astronomical even if you can find stuff.”
Food items for the typical Thanksgiving meals have jumped on average about 20% or more leaving average households struggling with higher costs and the pantries and charitable groups striving to put Thanksgiving meals on tables.
“It’s been really tough,” Saccone said. “It’s been a tough year.”
The organization is again is planning to serve a few hundred Thanksgiving meals in person and by delivery to homes, and as of the middle of this past week Saccone said 150 people had signed up.
The number is lower than past years, but organizers don’t believe it’s because of slacking need.
Saccone said she thinks it’s partly due to the Attleboro Norton YMCA hosting a separate Thanksgiving dinner for area seniors.
Also, the number could be lower because of uncertainty left in the wake of a pipe burst at the group’s Thacher Street hall in September.
The hall, which flooded, remains torn apart and closed. The lodge’s bar is all that has remained open after the flood.
The lodge funds the Thanksgiving dinners with money it raises and donations.
“Not having the hall has been a great loss to the lodge. We took a hit with COVID as well,” Saccone said. “We had the hall rented out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December. Everything came to a halt. We are barely scraping by.”
The Thanksgiving meal operation has been moved to the nearby Portuguese American Club at 65 Prairie Ave.
“They have been gracious and offered their hall and kitchen,” Saccone said. “We didn’t want not to do it this year. The PA stepped up and offered their services, which was very nice of them to keep it going.”
Because of the relocation to the smaller club, the Moose Lodge that usually serves about 400 on Thanksgiving scaled that down to 250. Last year, an estimated 430 were given meals, with about 50 served in person and the rest having meals delivered or by takeout.
Saccone said that despite the slow signups, she expects to meet the cap.
“They may have assumed we were not doing it this year,” Saccone said. “It was up in the air for a little bit.”
The deadline to sign up for meals is Tuesday. Either call the lodge at 774-331-2836 or Portuguese American Club at 508-222-9748.
“The same people call every year, you get to know them,” Saccone said.
Even if people don’t sign up, they aren’t turned away, she noted.
Moose members are still cooking and delivering the meals, and meals can be picked up at the PA club between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday.
****
North Attleboro’s food pantry, Lenore’s Pantry, has experienced a clear spike in need.
“We have had over 55% increase in requests for assistance for Thanksgiving compared to last year,” Joan Badger, the town’s human service coordinator who oversees the pantry with the board of health, said in an email. “Most of our families are struggling due to inflation.”
Supply issues have also cropped up.
“At times we are finding it difficult to stock certain items,” Badger said. “We have seen an increase in donations in the past month for which we are very grateful.”
The deadline to sign up for a meal was Friday.
“If a North Attleboro resident has missed the date, they are welcome to call the office to see if assistance is still available,” Badger said. The phone number is 508-699-0104.
The pantry, located in the basement of town hall, has been helping local residents since 1978.
****
The Foxboro Food Pantry at Bethany Congregational Church is also again helping provide Thanksgiving meals.
“We will be providing Thanksgiving to approximately 175 households,” said Lisa Downs, a pantry volunteer. “Our need is similar to last year at this point.”
Unlike the Moose Lodge, the pantry has no sit-down dinners. “We don’t provide dinners,” Downs said. “We give each household a turkey, pie and additional items which allow for them to cook for their own households.”
The pantry has been providing this service for over 30 years.
“The food prices are definitely greater than last year, but we have been fortunate to have received donations throughout the years that allow us to continue to provide exactly as we have each year,” Downs said. “Donations have been very good. We are very grateful to be part of the Foxboro community who never forgets about our organization which allows Foxboro households to enjoy a little bit of tranquility during the holidays.”
The deadline to request food for Thanksgiving was Friday, and recipients pick up their own food Sunday.
Also in Foxboro, resident Kasey Twyman has been taking in donations to serve Thanksgiving meals.
Twyman, 34, a mother and former North Attleboro resident, three years ago started donating one meal to an area family. This year, besides her personal donation of a meal, she wanted to help more families and began taking donations. As of Friday, she had received $685 from 14 donors, with meals costing about $50.
To learn more, visit: spot.fund/ThanksgivingDinnerDrive.
****
The largest Thanksgiving dinner initiative in the area is Personal Best Karate’s Thanksgiving Brigade, taking place this weekend, and it has also seen the need increase.
Families with Personal Best, which has locations in Foxboro, Norton, Easton and Raynham, donate, put together and deliver baskets of items for meals.
The drive is the business’s biggest annual event, and Personal Best Charity last year helped 2,000 families and has delivered over 30,000 meal baskets over nearly three decades.
The Hockomock Area YMCA in partnership with the United Way is holding its annual Operation Thanksgiving Saturday.
“We will once again have 500 meals delivered on Friday and be a distribution site on Saturday for our Food Access program participants, Y members, program participants, community members, staff and community groups,” said the YMCA’s Julie Silva.
Distribution will take place between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday at the North Attleboro Branch at 300 Elmwood St.
****
There are several other area Thanksgiving dinner efforts that are smaller in scale.
The Friends of the Elderly annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner, in its 36th year, is open to residents in Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro, Norton, Plainville, Easton and Sharon.
The dinner is held Thanksgiving from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church, 17 West St., in Mansfield, across from the South Common.
Dine-in reservations are not required.
“While many of us are fortunate enough to be able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our families, that is not an option for everyone,” said Cyndee Goodinson-Lindsey of the Attleboro Norton YMCA.
To reduce the number of seniors spending the holiday alone, the YMCA is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for Attleboro, Norton and Rehoboth residents ages 60 and over Thursday afternoon at the Sweet Community House, 44 Peck St., Attleboro.
Registration has passed and there were 16 signed up.
“I believe inflation has an impact on the senior population,” Goodinson-Lindsey said. “My goal for offering the Thanksgiving dinner to seniors was to help them with social isolation. The holidays can be a very lonesome time for seniors. If I can bring some folks together, offer some fellowship then I will be happy.”
Also, South Walpole United Methodist Church has been conducting its Thanksgiving Meals Delivery Mission for over 30 years.
“Traditional Thanksgiving meals will be delivered to elders and families in need in the local area surrounding Walpole on Thanksgiving Day,” said organizer Dianne Langer. “We send meals out to Walpole, Norfolk, Foxboro, parts of Norwood close to Walpole, and Wrentham.”
Anyone knowing of people in the area needing a meal can contact Langer at ladydilanger@juno.com or call 508-384-7053.
As the cost of living becomes an increasing challenge for many families, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William O’Donnell is asking people to contribute to the Annual Registry of Deeds Food Drive that runs through Tuesday, Dec. 13.
“There are people throughout the county that are truly hurting,” O’Donnell said. “This year we, as a community, have seen an unprecedented rise in inflation rates, especially in the cost of food. Some Norfolk County families are hit harder by these increased costs and worry about putting food on the table this holiday season.”
According to the latest Project Bread statistics, 19.6% of households and 22% of children in Massachusetts are considered food insecure.
“As the holidays approach, there is definitely a need for more food assistance,” O’Donnell said. “Household expenses are higher due to the cost of home heating fuel, food bills, and increased interest rates.”
Non-perishable food items can be brought to the Registry of Deeds at 649 High St. in Dedham between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Suggested donations include canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, sauces, toiletries, and paper products.
Visit the Registry website at www.norfolkdeeds.org for a pantry location in your community.
Area food pantries and other organizations that are helping provide Thanksgiving dinners to the less fortunate are finding the need growing and facing steep challenges with higher prices for food and other expenses due to inflation and supply chain issues.
“The prices of everything are just outrageous,” said Danielle Saccone, vice president of the Attleboro Moose Lodge. “It’s astronomical even if you can find stuff.”
Food items for the typical Thanksgiving meals have jumped on average about 20% or more leaving average households struggling with higher costs and the pantries and charitable groups striving to put Thanksgiving meals on tables.
“It’s been really tough,” Saccone said. “It’s been a tough year.”
The organization is again is planning to serve a few hundred Thanksgiving meals in person and by delivery to homes, and as of the middle of this past week Saccone said 150 people had signed up.
The number is lower than past years, but organizers don’t believe it’s because of slacking need.
Saccone said she thinks it’s partly due to the Attleboro Norton YMCA hosting a separate Thanksgiving dinner for area seniors.
Also, the number could be lower because of uncertainty left in the wake of a pipe burst at the group’s Thacher Street hall in September.
The hall, which flooded, remains torn apart and closed. The lodge’s bar is all that has remained open after the flood.
The lodge funds the Thanksgiving dinners with money it raises and donations.
“Not having the hall has been a great loss to the lodge. We took a hit with COVID as well,” Saccone said. “We had the hall rented out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December. Everything came to a halt. We are barely scraping by.”
The Thanksgiving meal operation has been moved to the nearby Portuguese American Club at 65 Prairie Ave.
“They have been gracious and offered their hall and kitchen,” Saccone said. “We didn’t want not to do it this year. The PA stepped up and offered their services, which was very nice of them to keep it going.”
Because of the relocation to the smaller club, the Moose Lodge that usually serves about 400 on Thanksgiving scaled that down to 250. Last year, an estimated 430 were given meals, with about 50 served in person and the rest having meals delivered or by takeout.
Saccone said that despite the slow signups, she expects to meet the cap.
“They may have assumed we were not doing it this year,” Saccone said. “It was up in the air for a little bit.”
The deadline to sign up for meals is Tuesday. Either call the lodge at 774-331-2836 or Portuguese American Club at 508-222-9748.
“The same people call every year, you get to know them,” Saccone said.
Even if people don’t sign up, they aren’t turned away, she noted.
Moose members are still cooking and delivering the meals, and meals can be picked up at the PA club between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday.
****
North Attleboro’s food pantry, Lenore’s Pantry, has experienced a clear spike in need.
“We have had over 55% increase in requests for assistance for Thanksgiving compared to last year,” Joan Badger, the town’s human service coordinator who oversees the pantry with the board of health, said in an email. “Most of our families are struggling due to inflation.”
Supply issues have also cropped up.
“At times we are finding it difficult to stock certain items,” Badger said. “We have seen an increase in donations in the past month for which we are very grateful.”
The deadline to sign up for a meal was Friday.
“If a North Attleboro resident has missed the date, they are welcome to call the office to see if assistance is still available,” Badger said. The phone number is 508-699-0104.
The pantry, located in the basement of town hall, has been helping local residents since 1978.
****
The Foxboro Food Pantry at Bethany Congregational Church is also again helping provide Thanksgiving meals.
“We will be providing Thanksgiving to approximately 175 households,” said Lisa Downs, a pantry volunteer. “Our need is similar to last year at this point.”
Unlike the Moose Lodge, the pantry has no sit-down dinners. “We don’t provide dinners,” Downs said. “We give each household a turkey, pie and additional items which allow for them to cook for their own households.”
The pantry has been providing this service for over 30 years.
“The food prices are definitely greater than last year, but we have been fortunate to have received donations throughout the years that allow us to continue to provide exactly as we have each year,” Downs said. “Donations have been very good. We are very grateful to be part of the Foxboro community who never forgets about our organization which allows Foxboro households to enjoy a little bit of tranquility during the holidays.”
The deadline to request food for Thanksgiving was Friday, and recipients pick up their own food Sunday.
Also in Foxboro, resident Kasey Twyman has been taking in donations to serve Thanksgiving meals.
Twyman, 34, a mother and former North Attleboro resident, three years ago started donating one meal to an area family. This year, besides her personal donation of a meal, she wanted to help more families and began taking donations. As of Friday, she had received $685 from 14 donors, with meals costing about $50.
To learn more, visit: spot.fund/ThanksgivingDinnerDrive.
****
The largest Thanksgiving dinner initiative in the area is Personal Best Karate’s Thanksgiving Brigade, taking place this weekend, and it has also seen the need increase.
Families with Personal Best, which has locations in Foxboro, Norton, Easton and Raynham, donate, put together and deliver baskets of items for meals.
The drive is the business’s biggest annual event, and Personal Best Charity last year helped 2,000 families and has delivered over 30,000 meal baskets over nearly three decades.
The Hockomock Area YMCA in partnership with the United Way is holding its annual Operation Thanksgiving Saturday.
“We will once again have 500 meals delivered on Friday and be a distribution site on Saturday for our Food Access program participants, Y members, program participants, community members, staff and community groups,” said the YMCA’s Julie Silva.
Distribution will take place between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday at the North Attleboro Branch at 300 Elmwood St.
****
There are several other area Thanksgiving dinner efforts that are smaller in scale.
The Friends of the Elderly annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner, in its 36th year, is open to residents in Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro, Norton, Plainville, Easton and Sharon.
The dinner is held Thanksgiving from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church, 17 West St., in Mansfield, across from the South Common.
Dine-in reservations are not required.
“While many of us are fortunate enough to be able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our families, that is not an option for everyone,” said Cyndee Goodinson-Lindsey of the Attleboro Norton YMCA.
To reduce the number of seniors spending the holiday alone, the YMCA is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for Attleboro, Norton and Rehoboth residents ages 60 and over Thursday afternoon at the Sweet Community House, 44 Peck St., Attleboro.
Registration has passed and there were 16 signed up.
“I believe inflation has an impact on the senior population,” Goodinson-Lindsey said. “My goal for offering the Thanksgiving dinner to seniors was to help them with social isolation. The holidays can be a very lonesome time for seniors. If I can bring some folks together, offer some fellowship then I will be happy.”
Also, South Walpole United Methodist Church has been conducting its Thanksgiving Meals Delivery Mission for over 30 years.
“Traditional Thanksgiving meals will be delivered to elders and families in need in the local area surrounding Walpole on Thanksgiving Day,” said organizer Dianne Langer. “We send meals out to Walpole, Norfolk, Foxboro, parts of Norwood close to Walpole, and Wrentham.”
Anyone knowing of people in the area needing a meal can contact Langer at ladydilanger@juno.com or call 508-384-7053.
As the cost of living becomes an increasing challenge for many families, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William O’Donnell is asking people to contribute to the Annual Registry of Deeds Food Drive that runs through Tuesday, Dec. 13.
“There are people throughout the county that are truly hurting,” O’Donnell said. “This year we, as a community, have seen an unprecedented rise in inflation rates, especially in the cost of food. Some Norfolk County families are hit harder by these increased costs and worry about putting food on the table this holiday season.”
According to the latest Project Bread statistics, 19.6% of households and 22% of children in Massachusetts are considered food insecure.
“As the holidays approach, there is definitely a need for more food assistance,” O’Donnell said. “Household expenses are higher due to the cost of home heating fuel, food bills, and increased interest rates.”
Non-perishable food items can be brought to the Registry of Deeds at 649 High St. in Dedham between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Suggested donations include canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, sauces, toiletries, and paper products.
Visit the Registry website at www.norfolkdeeds.org for a pantry location in your community.
Area food pantries and other organizations that are helping provide Thanksgiving dinners to the less fortunate are finding the need growing and facing steep challenges with higher prices for food and other expenses due to inflation and supply chain issues.
“The prices of everything are just outrageous,” said Danielle Saccone, vice president of the Attleboro Moose Lodge. “It’s astronomical even if you can find stuff.”
Food items for the typical Thanksgiving meals have jumped on average about 20% or more leaving average households struggling with higher costs and the pantries and charitable groups striving to put Thanksgiving meals on tables.
“It’s been really tough,” Saccone said. “It’s been a tough year.”
The organization is again is planning to serve a few hundred Thanksgiving meals in person and by delivery to homes, and as of the middle of this past week Saccone said 150 people had signed up.
The number is lower than past years, but organizers don’t believe it’s because of slacking need.
Saccone said she thinks it’s partly due to the Attleboro Norton YMCA hosting a separate Thanksgiving dinner for area seniors.
Also, the number could be lower because of uncertainty left in the wake of a pipe burst at the group’s Thacher Street hall in September.
The hall, which flooded, remains torn apart and closed. The lodge’s bar is all that has remained open after the flood.
The lodge funds the Thanksgiving dinners with money it raises and donations.
“Not having the hall has been a great loss to the lodge. We took a hit with COVID as well,” Saccone said. “We had the hall rented out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December. Everything came to a halt. We are barely scraping by.”
The Thanksgiving meal operation has been moved to the nearby Portuguese American Club at 65 Prairie Ave.
“They have been gracious and offered their hall and kitchen,” Saccone said. “We didn’t want not to do it this year. The PA stepped up and offered their services, which was very nice of them to keep it going.”
Because of the relocation to the smaller club, the Moose Lodge that usually serves about 400 on Thanksgiving scaled that down to 250. Last year, an estimated 430 were given meals, with about 50 served in person and the rest having meals delivered or by takeout.
Saccone said that despite the slow signups, she expects to meet the cap.
“They may have assumed we were not doing it this year,” Saccone said. “It was up in the air for a little bit.”
The deadline to sign up for meals is Tuesday. Either call the lodge at 774-331-2836 or Portuguese American Club at 508-222-9748.
“The same people call every year, you get to know them,” Saccone said.
Even if people don’t sign up, they aren’t turned away, she noted.
Moose members are still cooking and delivering the meals, and meals can be picked up at the PA club between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday.
****
North Attleboro’s food pantry, Lenore’s Pantry, has experienced a clear spike in need.
“We have had over 55% increase in requests for assistance for Thanksgiving compared to last year,” Joan Badger, the town’s human service coordinator who oversees the pantry with the board of health, said in an email. “Most of our families are struggling due to inflation.”
Supply issues have also cropped up.
“At times we are finding it difficult to stock certain items,” Badger said. “We have seen an increase in donations in the past month for which we are very grateful.”
The deadline to sign up for a meal was Friday.
“If a North Attleboro resident has missed the date, they are welcome to call the office to see if assistance is still available,” Badger said. The phone number is 508-699-0104.
The pantry, located in the basement of town hall, has been helping local residents since 1978.
****
The Foxboro Food Pantry at Bethany Congregational Church is also again helping provide Thanksgiving meals.
“We will be providing Thanksgiving to approximately 175 households,” said Lisa Downs, a pantry volunteer. “Our need is similar to last year at this point.”
Unlike the Moose Lodge, the pantry has no sit-down dinners. “We don’t provide dinners,” Downs said. “We give each household a turkey, pie and additional items which allow for them to cook for their own households.”
The pantry has been providing this service for over 30 years.
“The food prices are definitely greater than last year, but we have been fortunate to have received donations throughout the years that allow us to continue to provide exactly as we have each year,” Downs said. “Donations have been very good. We are very grateful to be part of the Foxboro community who never forgets about our organization which allows Foxboro households to enjoy a little bit of tranquility during the holidays.”
The deadline to request food for Thanksgiving was Friday, and recipients pick up their own food Sunday.
Also in Foxboro, resident Kasey Twyman has been taking in donations to serve Thanksgiving meals.
Twyman, 34, a mother and former North Attleboro resident, three years ago started donating one meal to an area family. This year, besides her personal donation of a meal, she wanted to help more families and began taking donations. As of Friday, she had received $685 from 14 donors, with meals costing about $50.
To learn more, visit: spot.fund/ThanksgivingDinnerDrive.
****
The largest Thanksgiving dinner initiative in the area is Personal Best Karate’s Thanksgiving Brigade, taking place this weekend, and it has also seen the need increase.
Families with Personal Best, which has locations in Foxboro, Norton, Easton and Raynham, donate, put together and deliver baskets of items for meals.
The drive is the business’s biggest annual event, and Personal Best Charity last year helped 2,000 families and has delivered over 30,000 meal baskets over nearly three decades.
The Hockomock Area YMCA in partnership with the United Way is holding its annual Operation Thanksgiving Saturday.
“We will once again have 500 meals delivered on Friday and be a distribution site on Saturday for our Food Access program participants, Y members, program participants, community members, staff and community groups,” said the YMCA’s Julie Silva.
Distribution will take place between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday at the North Attleboro Branch at 300 Elmwood St.
****
There are several other area Thanksgiving dinner efforts that are smaller in scale.
The Friends of the Elderly annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner, in its 36th year, is open to residents in Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro, Norton, Plainville, Easton and Sharon.
The dinner is held Thanksgiving from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church, 17 West St., in Mansfield, across from the South Common.
Dine-in reservations are not required.
“While many of us are fortunate enough to be able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our families, that is not an option for everyone,” said Cyndee Goodinson-Lindsey of the Attleboro Norton YMCA.
To reduce the number of seniors spending the holiday alone, the YMCA is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for Attleboro, Norton and Rehoboth residents ages 60 and over Thursday afternoon at the Sweet Community House, 44 Peck St., Attleboro.
Registration has passed and there were 16 signed up.
“I believe inflation has an impact on the senior population,” Goodinson-Lindsey said. “My goal for offering the Thanksgiving dinner to seniors was to help them with social isolation. The holidays can be a very lonesome time for seniors. If I can bring some folks together, offer some fellowship then I will be happy.”
Also, South Walpole United Methodist Church has been conducting its Thanksgiving Meals Delivery Mission for over 30 years.
“Traditional Thanksgiving meals will be delivered to elders and families in need in the local area surrounding Walpole on Thanksgiving Day,” said organizer Dianne Langer. “We send meals out to Walpole, Norfolk, Foxboro, parts of Norwood close to Walpole, and Wrentham.”
Anyone knowing of people in the area needing a meal can contact Langer at ladydilanger@juno.com or call 508-384-7053.
As the cost of living becomes an increasing challenge for many families, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William O’Donnell is asking people to contribute to the Annual Registry of Deeds Food Drive that runs through Tuesday, Dec. 13.
“There are people throughout the county that are truly hurting,” O’Donnell said. “This year we, as a community, have seen an unprecedented rise in inflation rates, especially in the cost of food. Some Norfolk County families are hit harder by these increased costs and worry about putting food on the table this holiday season.”
According to the latest Project Bread statistics, 19.6% of households and 22% of children in Massachusetts are considered food insecure.
“As the holidays approach, there is definitely a need for more food assistance,” O’Donnell said. “Household expenses are higher due to the cost of home heating fuel, food bills, and increased interest rates.”
Non-perishable food items can be brought to the Registry of Deeds at 649 High St. in Dedham between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Suggested donations include canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, sauces, toiletries, and paper products.
Visit the Registry website at www.norfolkdeeds.org for a pantry location in your community.
Area food pantries and other organizations that are helping provide Thanksgiving dinners to the less fortunate are finding the need growing and facing steep challenges with higher prices for food and other expenses due to inflation and supply chain issues.
“The prices of everything are just outrageous,” said Danielle Saccone, vice president of the Attleboro Moose Lodge. “It’s astronomical even if you can find stuff.”
Food items for the typical Thanksgiving meals have jumped on average about 20% or more leaving average households struggling with higher costs and the pantries and charitable groups striving to put Thanksgiving meals on tables.
“It’s been really tough,” Saccone said. “It’s been a tough year.”
The organization is again is planning to serve a few hundred Thanksgiving meals in person and by delivery to homes, and as of the middle of this past week Saccone said 150 people had signed up.
The number is lower than past years, but organizers don’t believe it’s because of slacking need.
Saccone said she thinks it’s partly due to the Attleboro Norton YMCA hosting a separate Thanksgiving dinner for area seniors.
Also, the number could be lower because of uncertainty left in the wake of a pipe burst at the group’s Thacher Street hall in September.
The hall, which flooded, remains torn apart and closed. The lodge’s bar is all that has remained open after the flood.
The lodge funds the Thanksgiving dinners with money it raises and donations.
“Not having the hall has been a great loss to the lodge. We took a hit with COVID as well,” Saccone said. “We had the hall rented out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December. Everything came to a halt. We are barely scraping by.”
The Thanksgiving meal operation has been moved to the nearby Portuguese American Club at 65 Prairie Ave.
“They have been gracious and offered their hall and kitchen,” Saccone said. “We didn’t want not to do it this year. The PA stepped up and offered their services, which was very nice of them to keep it going.”
Because of the relocation to the smaller club, the Moose Lodge that usually serves about 400 on Thanksgiving scaled that down to 250. Last year, an estimated 430 were given meals, with about 50 served in person and the rest having meals delivered or by takeout.
Saccone said that despite the slow signups, she expects to meet the cap.
“They may have assumed we were not doing it this year,” Saccone said. “It was up in the air for a little bit.”
The deadline to sign up for meals is Tuesday. Either call the lodge at 774-331-2836 or Portuguese American Club at 508-222-9748.
“The same people call every year, you get to know them,” Saccone said.
Even if people don’t sign up, they aren’t turned away, she noted.
Moose members are still cooking and delivering the meals, and meals can be picked up at the PA club between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday.
****
North Attleboro’s food pantry, Lenore’s Pantry, has experienced a clear spike in need.
“We have had over 55% increase in requests for assistance for Thanksgiving compared to last year,” Joan Badger, the town’s human service coordinator who oversees the pantry with the board of health, said in an email. “Most of our families are struggling due to inflation.”
Supply issues have also cropped up.
“At times we are finding it difficult to stock certain items,” Badger said. “We have seen an increase in donations in the past month for which we are very grateful.”
The deadline to sign up for a meal was Friday.
“If a North Attleboro resident has missed the date, they are welcome to call the office to see if assistance is still available,” Badger said. The phone number is 508-699-0104.
The pantry, located in the basement of town hall, has been helping local residents since 1978.
****
The Foxboro Food Pantry at Bethany Congregational Church is also again helping provide Thanksgiving meals.
“We will be providing Thanksgiving to approximately 175 households,” said Lisa Downs, a pantry volunteer. “Our need is similar to last year at this point.”
Unlike the Moose Lodge, the pantry has no sit-down dinners. “We don’t provide dinners,” Downs said. “We give each household a turkey, pie and additional items which allow for them to cook for their own households.”
The pantry has been providing this service for over 30 years.
“The food prices are definitely greater than last year, but we have been fortunate to have received donations throughout the years that allow us to continue to provide exactly as we have each year,” Downs said. “Donations have been very good. We are very grateful to be part of the Foxboro community who never forgets about our organization which allows Foxboro households to enjoy a little bit of tranquility during the holidays.”
The deadline to request food for Thanksgiving was Friday, and recipients pick up their own food Sunday.
Also in Foxboro, resident Kasey Twyman has been taking in donations to serve Thanksgiving meals.
Twyman, 34, a mother and former North Attleboro resident, three years ago started donating one meal to an area family. This year, besides her personal donation of a meal, she wanted to help more families and began taking donations. As of Friday, she had received $685 from 14 donors, with meals costing about $50.
To learn more, visit: spot.fund/ThanksgivingDinnerDrive.
****
The largest Thanksgiving dinner initiative in the area is Personal Best Karate’s Thanksgiving Brigade, taking place this weekend, and it has also seen the need increase.
Families with Personal Best, which has locations in Foxboro, Norton, Easton and Raynham, donate, put together and deliver baskets of items for meals.
The drive is the business’s biggest annual event, and Personal Best Charity last year helped 2,000 families and has delivered over 30,000 meal baskets over nearly three decades.
The Hockomock Area YMCA in partnership with the United Way is holding its annual Operation Thanksgiving Saturday.
“We will once again have 500 meals delivered on Friday and be a distribution site on Saturday for our Food Access program participants, Y members, program participants, community members, staff and community groups,” said the YMCA’s Julie Silva.
Distribution will take place between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday at the North Attleboro Branch at 300 Elmwood St.
****
There are several other area Thanksgiving dinner efforts that are smaller in scale.
The Friends of the Elderly annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner, in its 36th year, is open to residents in Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro, Norton, Plainville, Easton and Sharon.
The dinner is held Thanksgiving from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church, 17 West St., in Mansfield, across from the South Common.
Dine-in reservations are not required.
“While many of us are fortunate enough to be able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our families, that is not an option for everyone,” said Cyndee Goodinson-Lindsey of the Attleboro Norton YMCA.
To reduce the number of seniors spending the holiday alone, the YMCA is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for Attleboro, Norton and Rehoboth residents ages 60 and over Thursday afternoon at the Sweet Community House, 44 Peck St., Attleboro.
Registration has passed and there were 16 signed up.
“I believe inflation has an impact on the senior population,” Goodinson-Lindsey said. “My goal for offering the Thanksgiving dinner to seniors was to help them with social isolation. The holidays can be a very lonesome time for seniors. If I can bring some folks together, offer some fellowship then I will be happy.”
Also, South Walpole United Methodist Church has been conducting its Thanksgiving Meals Delivery Mission for over 30 years.
“Traditional Thanksgiving meals will be delivered to elders and families in need in the local area surrounding Walpole on Thanksgiving Day,” said organizer Dianne Langer. “We send meals out to Walpole, Norfolk, Foxboro, parts of Norwood close to Walpole, and Wrentham.”
Anyone knowing of people in the area needing a meal can contact Langer at ladydilanger@juno.com or call 508-384-7053.
As the cost of living becomes an increasing challenge for many families, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William O’Donnell is asking people to contribute to the Annual Registry of Deeds Food Drive that runs through Tuesday, Dec. 13.
“There are people throughout the county that are truly hurting,” O’Donnell said. “This year we, as a community, have seen an unprecedented rise in inflation rates, especially in the cost of food. Some Norfolk County families are hit harder by these increased costs and worry about putting food on the table this holiday season.”
According to the latest Project Bread statistics, 19.6% of households and 22% of children in Massachusetts are considered food insecure.
“As the holidays approach, there is definitely a need for more food assistance,” O’Donnell said. “Household expenses are higher due to the cost of home heating fuel, food bills, and increased interest rates.”
Non-perishable food items can be brought to the Registry of Deeds at 649 High St. in Dedham between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Suggested donations include canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, sauces, toiletries, and paper products.
Visit the Registry website at www.norfolkdeeds.org for a pantry location in your community.
