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Marj Crispin Center reports higher demand, outlines Thanksgiving and holiday distributions
Summary
At the Nov. 18 Braintree Town Council meeting, Anne To land of the Marj Crispin Center described rising demand for food assistance, said the pantry partners with the Greater Boston Food Bank for biweekly allotments, and outlined Thanksgiving and December toy distribution plans.
Anne To land, speaking for the Marj Crispin Center, told the Town Council the pantry has seen a sharp increase in need as the holiday season approaches and laid out logistics for Thanksgiving and Christmas distributions. "We are allotted 1,500 to 2,500 pounds of food each time we go in," she said, describing the pantry’s biweekly pickups through the Greater Boston Food Bank.
The center has expanded its Thanksgiving effort compared with last year, Anne said, noting the number of families receiving Thanksgiving baskets rose from about 200 last year to "up to 241" this year. She described a one-day Thanksgiving distribution to take place the coming Monday in two shifts and said volunteers and town departments are coordinating refrigerated storage and pickup. "I'm picking up 96 turkeys," Anne said, adding local stores and municipal crews are storing and moving product ahead of distribution.
Councilors praised the center's volunteers and community partners. Councilor Quilty, reading prepared remarks, said the pantry "treat[s] people who need that kind of help with dignity" and added, "There really is nothing more important than feeding someone who is hungry." Anne emphasized the role of community donations and partnerships — citing corporate and school contributions — and left printed schedules and status reports with town staff for volunteers and donors.
On holiday specifics, Anne said the Marj Crispin Center plans a toy party on Dec. 10 at a local venue (referred to in the update as "Leo's"), with setup starting Dec. 14–15 and Christmas distributions Dec. 16–18. She requested donations for infants through teens, small-denomination gift cards for teenagers, pajamas for all ages and stocking-stuffer items. Last year the center provided $40 in gift cards on average to teens in addition to other items.
Anne described the center’s delivery system, started during the COVID period, which arranges grocery-list-driven deliveries about every other Thursday and serves elderly and homebound clients. She thanked donors and volunteers and noted community groups (for example the Joshua Kaye Foundation and Voya Financial) for recent large contributions.
The presentation concluded with the council introducing Kathy Petroli as a new board member and offering thanks to Anne and the Marj Crispin Center. The council did not take formal action on the report; the update was presented for information and outreach.
