Community Thanksgiving Dinner
UPDATE FOR 2022:
This year, we are NOT holding our in-person dinner but we are partnering with the Brookline Food Pantry to provide grocery bags filled with all the ingredients needed to cook a Thanksgiving meal at home. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Every year on Thanksgiving Day at 1:00pm United Parish in Brookline hosts a full sit-down Thanksgiving meal for up to 200 people. The meal and service are all provided by volunteers in the church and in the community, and some food local organizations. The meal is offered free of charge.
The church office does ask for an RSVP to give those who work tirelessly on this project sufficient information about the number of people to expect for the meal. The church office is receiving RSVP's now. You can call 617-277-6860 x7 or email thanksgiving@upbrookline.org to RSVP or volunteer to help out that day.
Latest Community Thanksgiving Dinner News
After careful and prayerful consideration, the Stretching into Justice Team wants to advise the United Parish Community that United Parish will not be hosting the Community-wide Thanksgiving Dinner this year. Simply put, we do not have the leadership or bandwidth to organize a sit-down dinner for roughly 200 people. Nor have we been successful in finding someone within the congregation to take on this substantial leadership role. It became clear that the role played by our former tenant, Catering to You, was very significant. They had loaned us various items including large pots and place settings which we would have had to purchase.
For those of you who have regularly volunteered your time at the Dinner, there will be opportunities to help the Brookline Food Pantry with their efforts. We are also preparing a list of all the places in the Boston-area where fully-prepared meals are being served and will pass that to those interested. Contact stretchingintojustice@upbrookline.org.
**SIGN-UPS HAVE CLOSED**
If you'd like a pre-cooked meal, you can find a list of other locations HERE.
Instead of our usual in-person community Thanksgiving meal, we are once again excited to partner with the Brookline Food Pantry to support their efforts in providing groceries to members of the community. This is an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the Brookline Food Pantry and provide food to our neighbors in need.
Free meal kits will be available for pickup during the week of Thanksgiving. These meal kits will include the raw ingredients to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner at home. We are not providing pre-cooked meals. Recipients will need to cook for themselves. Meal kits do not include recipes or instructions for cooking.
Meal kits include the following groceries:
- whole frozen turkey (or a smaller frozen chicken, if requested)
- instant mashed potatoes
- stuffing mix
- can of creamed corn
- onions
- carrots
- white potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- apples
- pie
- gravy mix
- cranberry sauce
All meal kits are the same; no substitutions or changes. We are not able to accommodate any dietary restrictions.
Meal kits are provided FREE, at no cost to our community members. Special thanks to our generous donors who make this event possible.
If you'd like to receive a meal kit:
*SIGN-UPS FOR MEAL KITS HAVE CLOSED*
Meal kits must be reserved in advance by Sunday, November 13, 2022; no walk-ups accepted. Recipients do not have to be Brookline residents in order to receive a meal kit. One per family.
Meal kits will be available for pickup on the following days:
- Sunday, November 20 from 12-4pm at 226 High Street Community Room
- Monday, November 21 from 1-5pm at United Parish at 210 Harvard Street
- Tuesday, November 22 from 2-6pm at 55A Egmont Street Community Room
Pickup is preferred, however, a limited number of meal kits may be available for delivery if pickup is not an option for you. Meal kits will be delivered on Tuesday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 23. Volunteers will call you when they are on their way to give you an estimated delivery time.
Deliveries can be made to the metro-Boston area. Locations that are farther away will be considered on a case by case basis if volunteer drivers are available.
If you'd like to volunteer:
*SIGN-UPS HAVE CLOSED*
The Food Pantry is looking for volunteers to deliver meal kits and pack grocery bags.
If you'd like to donate:
If you'd like to contribute, the Food Pantry requests that you make a donation of your time or money, rather than donating food items. To volunteer, please click here. To make a monetary donation, please click here.
Questions? Please contact United Parish at 617-277-6860 or email thanksgiving@upbrookline.org.
**SIGN-UPS HAVE CLOSED FOR 2021** If you are still looking for a Thanksgiving Meal, click here for a list of other locations, or click here for additional food assistance.
This year, we are doing something different! Instead of our usual in-person community Thanksgiving meal, we are excited to partner with the Brookline Food Pantry to support their efforts in providing groceries to members of the community. This is an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the Brookline Food Pantry and provide food to our neighbors in need.
Free meal kits will be available for pickup during the week of Thanksgiving. These meal kits will include the raw ingredients to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner at home. We are not providing pre-cooked meals. Recipients will need to cook for themselves. Meal kits do not include recipes or instructions for cooking.
Meal kits include the following groceries:
- whole frozen turkey (or a smaller frozen chicken, if requested)
- instant mashed potatoes
- stuffing mix
- can of creamed corn
- onions
- white potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- apples
- pie
- gravy mix
- cranberry sauce
- carrots
All meal kits are the same; no substitutions or changes. We are not able to accommodate any dietary restrictions.
Meal kits are provided FREE, at no cost to our community members. Special thanks to our generous donors who make this event possible.
If you'd like to receive a meal kit:
Meal kits must be reserved in advance by Sunday, November 14; no walk-ups accepted. Recipients do not have to be Brookline residents in order to receive a meal kit. One per family.
SIGN-UPS HAVE CLOSED. WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY ADDITIONAL SIGN-UPS.
Meal kits will be available for pickup on the following days:
- Sunday, November 21 from 12-4pm at 226 High Street Community Room
- Monday, November 22 from 1-5pm at United Parish at 210 Harvard Street
- Tuesday, November 23 from 2-6pm at 55A Egmont Street Community Room
Pickup is preferred, however, a limited number of meal kits may be available for delivery if pickup is not an option for you. Meal kits will be delivered on Tuesday, November 23 and Wednesday, November 24. Volunteers will call you when they are on their way to give you an estimated delivery time.
Deliveries can be made to the metro-Boston area. Locations that are farther away will be considered on a case by case basis if volunteer drivers are available.
All volunteers will wear masks and can provide contactless delivery if requested. (Contactless delivery means that instead of the driver handing you your meal kit, they will leave it on your doorstep for you to pick up.)
If you'd like to volunteer:
The Food Pantry is looking for volunteers to deliver meal kits. There may also be an opportunity for a limited number of volunteers to assist by packing grocery bags. SIGN-UPS FOR VOLUNTEERS HAVE CLOSED. THANK YOU!
If you'd like to donate:
If you'd like to contribute, the Food Pantry requests that you make a donation of your time or money, rather than donating food items. To volunteer, please click here. To make a monetary donation, please click here.
Questions? Please contact United Parish at 617-277-6860 or email thanksgiving@upbrookline.org.
