Teen volunteers pack 219 Thanksgiving meal baskets for Lincoln families in need
LINCOLN – Distributing 219 holiday meal baskets to families and other residents in need in a single day is no small task, but Al Ranaldi’s volunteer crew was up to the task on Monday as a military-style supply operation unfolded at the Lincoln Senior Center at 150 Jenckes Hill Road just after 2 p.m.
Ranaldi, the town planner, had a line of cars waiting for their turn at the entrance to the Senior Center where students from Lincoln High School and other volunteers quickly brought over their allotted turkeys, Thanksgiving meal fixings, an apple pie and a 10-pound bag of potatoes before sending them on their way.
Ranaldi directed it all, telling the drivers to first park their vehicles and then open a door so the meal items could be handed over by the students.
Volunteers from the highway department did the heavy lifting of moving around the supply of potatoes on bed of truck and filling requests from the students below.
“The Lincoln High School students are doing an excellent job and they are very enthusiastic,” Ranaldi said while watching them fill another vehicle with the holiday meal items.
The holiday baskets have been put together by the Lincoln volunteers for a number of years and make sure local families will have a good holiday even if they have lost a job or had to put their money toward other family expenses.
The program helps Lincoln residents who must show proof of residency when signing up for the assistance and also meet financial eligibility requirements.
The meals being given out on Monday included 24 complete meal boxes supplied by Twin River and also the remaining dinners put together by the program’s volunteers as the operation was set up for Mon- day’s distribution.
In addition to several corporate sponsors the holiday basket effort also collects support from individuals and small businesses in the town.
Grace Swanson, a Lincoln High senior, said she and her fellow students had joined the holiday basket distribution as a way to give back to their community.
Some of the students in the group would be earning their community service credits toward graduation but others where there just as volunteers wanting to help other local residents have a happy Thanksgiving.
“Some of the people coming here today would not have a happy Thanksgiving with out this program,” Swanson said.
As an added caveat, it was just a lot of fun to spend time after school with fellow classmates working on a project that helped people, Swanson said.
After distributing Thanksgiving meals this week, the holiday basket program will shift gears for the Christmas holiday for which a similar number of holiday meals will be distributed.
That effort will be held in conjunction with the giving tree at town hall, where donors can match with a family in need to provide the kids with Christmas gifts as well.
The Christmas distribution, also done through the Senior Center, will be set up on Dec. 18 and conducted on Dec. 19, Ranaldi said.
Anyone interested in helping out can contact Ranaldi at town hall by calling 333-1100.