Between November 1, 2017, and November 15, 2017, Boys Town New England held their annual Buy-A-Bird Thanksgiving food drive for the families that Boys Town serves. The Buy-A-Bird food drive was a way for the community to perform an act of kindness by helping a family enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

During the course of the two weeks, money donations were gathered to purchase the Thanksgiving fixings that would fill baskets. Employees then worked together to assemble the baskets and personally deliver them to the families that are in Care Coordination, Common Sense Parenting classes, and In-Home Family Services.

"This year we raised $7,800 and made 100 Thanksgiving baskets," said Development Director, Ashley Medeiros. Each basket that was put together by employees contained: fresh vegetables, stuffing, potatoes, corn bread, and a $25 gift card to purchase meat and dairy products.

Buy-A-Bird Thanksgiving meal drive first began five years ago, when community-based families needed help around the holidays. In the past, canned goods were collected to provide families with the necessary items for a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. However, Boys Town New England wanted to give back as much as they possibly could and decided that in order to do such, they were going to start an online donation drive. Rather than giving canned items to the families, members of the community had the opportunity to give incredibly generous donations and then fresh items would be purchased, to be placed in the baskets. Buy-A-Bird's first year was a major success, raising $3,500 and the amount has increased every year since it started.

The holidays are time for making memories with our families and giving back to others, and Boys Town New England, as well as the community, made sure that many families were able to have a very special Thanksgiving.