Thanksgiving Holiday Offers Opportunity of Meaningful Community Service in Western MA

As Thanksgiving approaches, families can integrate food-related community service into their schedules to honor the role that food plays in the holiday’s celebration. From community meals to food pantries to other food-related community resources, opportunities abound for families to engage in service or to participate in a community-building meal.

To learn more about how to offer community service or to find a community meal to attend, check out some of these community events on Thanksgiving Day:

Thursday, November 28, 2019, 6:30am-5pm – Located at Edwards Church, the MANNA Soup Kitchen welcomes volunteers to help prepare and serve their Thanksgiving meal. Families with children under the age of 15 can help with home deliveries. Teens ages 15 and older can sign up for a volunteer shift with their families. Single shifts are available, and volunteers can sign up online. Volunteers wanting to deliver meals to homes do not need to sign up; just come in the State Street side door of Edwards Church at 9:45am on Thanksgiving morning to pick up a delivery. MANNA Soup Kitchen. 413-584-1757. 297 Main St, Northampton, MA.

Thursday, November 28, 2019, 9am-4:30pm – Not Bread Alone offers a free community feast on Thanksgiving Day. This meal is in addition to their regular meals every Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday. Volunteers are needed, and everyone is welcome to enjoy this Thanksgiving celebration and any of its weekly meals! The meal is serve at 1pm. Volunteers shifts are between 9am-4:30pm.Bread Not Alone. 413-256-0128. Meals served in the lower level of the First Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC. 165 Main Street. Amherst, MA.

Thursday, November 28, 2019, 12-3pm – Stone Soup Café host a community Thanksgiving meal. Their model of service helps build a “diverse, inclusive community through a high-quality dining experience with healthy, delicious food and cultural offerings.” Community meals are great intergenerational opportunities to sit down with neighbors of all ages, making connections and nurturing relationships across the generations. According to Feeding America, “Many people facing hunger are forced to make tough choices between buying food and medical bills, food and rent, and/or food and transportation. This struggle goes beyond harming an individual family’s future; it can harm us all.” Volunteering and dining with Stone Soup Café does more than fill bellies … it strengthens the social fabric of the community by developing a sense of place in ourselves through shared experiences. Community meals also offer implicit learning opportunities by providing an intergenerational environment for community members of all ages to share stories and make connections at the “kitchen table.” Thanksgiving allows us to establish nourishing connections by reminding us that we are interwoven with one another. These connections can help carry us all into the darkest time of the year with a bright light of compassion and caring. No reservations are needed. Pay-what-you-can donations welcomed. Stone Soup Café. 413-475-0072. Meals at the All Souls Church. 399 Main Street. Greenfield, MA

Thursday, November 28, 2019, 12pm-5pm – The People’s Pint will be holding their annual “Thanksgiving for the People” on Thanksgiving day. They will serve a traditional holiday meal for the whole family and the whole community. Pay what you can. All proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and other local charities. Whether you need a good meal, want to volunteer, or want to spend Thanksgiving with your community, this is the place to be on Thanksgiving day! Contact them to find out about volunteer opportunities: thepeoplespint@gmail.com. The People’s Pint. 413-773-0333. 24 Federal Street. Greenfield, MA.

 [Photo credit: (cc) Tim Sackton ]