Around lunchtime on Tuesday, top city officials, TD Garden representatives, and volunteers served 800 pounds of turkey and 600 pounds of stuffing, among other fixings, to lines of thankful people, many of whom were bused in from local shelters.
Some of the people at the annual “Table of Friends” event in partnership with Friends of Boston’s Homeless for a Thanksgiving feast, held at TD Garden on Tuesday.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
“I’m grateful for what the city of Boston is doing,” said Regina, 75, who declined to give her last name because she didn’t want her friends knowing she lives in a shelter. “It’s very considerate of the state to do that for us.”
“This is my first time staying at a shelter on Thanksgiving,” said Tawnya Rhodes, 57, who sat waiting for friends to bring her a plate. “Support means everything … everyone deserves to have something.”
Among the officials standing behind trays of food, holding ladles and spoons, were Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.
“This is such an important holiday tradition,” said Wu, standing behind a tray full of turkey. “Just to make sure that everybody in the community can have a special holiday meal.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was a volunteer at the event.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
“The need for this is getting greater and greater every year,” Cox said.
(If you’re wondering, both Wu and Cox said their favorite Thanksgiving side dish is cranberry sauce. “On the turkey, on everything,” Wu said.)
According to Carrie Coughlin, executive director of Friends of Boston’s Homeless, the annual feast offers a glimpse into the work her organization does every day to support homeless people amid harmful federal policies, she said.
“What’s coming from the government in terms of changes to permanent housing and how we address homelessness is frightening,” she said, adding that 1,400 people in Boston who were previously housed will soon be homeless due to federal funding cuts for permanent housing.
All told, the culinary team at TD Garden prepared, in addition to the 800 pounds of turkey and 600 pounds of stuffing, 450 pounds of vegetables, 10 gallons of cranberry sauce, and a massive 501-pound pumpkin pie for the occasion.
Alamin AsSiddiq, 71, was one of the people who attended the meal.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
The effort took three days of preparation, all while the chefs continued to serve 19,000 guests each night for separate events at the Garden, said Jason Gorman, the executive chef at TD Garden.
“We have several kitchens throughout the building, so each kitchen is responsible for preparing some parts of the meal today,” Gorman said. “We strive to make everything from scratch.”
“It’s a very meaningful chance for us to give back to the community,” he added.
Kathy Cox left the stadium saddled with a bag of food she was bringing back to friends in the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center.
“There’s a girl in a wheelchair, there’s a girl with a walker,” she said. “I have a lot of turkey they can have.”
Truman Dickerson can be reached at truman.dickerson@globe.com.
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