PEABODY — In preparation for the holiday season, the Torigian Family YMCA is holding its annual Thanksgiving food drive from Nov. 1-15. Proceeds will be donated to Citizens Inn.
All members of the community — YMCA members and non-members alike — are welcome to participate. Anyone interested in making a donation can drop off canned and nonperishable items in the lobby of the Torigian Family YMCA. The lobby is open every day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“Far too many families in our community continue to struggle to make ends meet and food prices continue to rise,” said Rob Lowell, executive director of the Torigian Family YMCA. “We’re hoping to collect food for as many people as possible, so everyone can have a hot, healthy meal this Thanksgiving.”
Torigian will coordinate its drive with Citizens Inn, which will distribute donated food to families who are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity this holiday season.
“This year, more than ever, people need to be able to have a sense of normalcy over the holiday season. With increased demand due to COVID-19, we anticipate giving out over 1,600 turkeys with all the sides,” said Citizens Inn Executive Director Corey Jackson. “We simply cannot accomplish this without our partnership with the Torigian Family YMCA and its members.”
YMCA of Metro North CEO and President Kathleen Walsh said this year is all about giving people their holidays back.
“Last Thanksgiving was miserable and we want this year to be extra special because we basically lost last year,” Walsh said. “This is in our wheelhouse as everyone in the YMCA community wants to help. We want to give people back their holidays and don’t want that not to happen because of lack of food.”
Walsh said the initiative is another example of how local nonprofits are teaming up together to accomplish a greater goal.
“Obviously, we have a tremendous amount of respect for what Corey and his team do at Citizens and at Haven from Hunger,” she said. “There is always some crossover with other nonprofit organizations in order to find meaningful and impactful solutions on a local level, which helps keep these things in our community.”
Walsh said additional information about other donation opportunities, toy drives, and holiday events can be found on the YMCA of Metro North website: https://www.ymcametronorth.org/events/.
“These events give our members and non-members alike a tangible way to help, and after a year spent with nothing to do, like no vacations or other activities, it’s a really nice way to allow people to help,” said Walsh. “We are proud to help Citizens help make the holidays a little special this year.”