From workers to students: Chatham Village food donates Thanksgiving dinners
Nov 21, 2020
A student rushes into school with a big box of Thanksgiving foods. Photos by: Chloe Shelford
A Chatham Village Foods employee hands a box to a student.
A Chatham Village Foods employee hands a box to a student.
A student carefully makes his way into the school with a box of foods.
A student makes her way inside with a box of foods.
Chatham Village Foods employees, students, and Wareham Middle School staff pose for a photo with the donated food.
Students helped unload boxes of Thanksgiving foods almost as big as they were on Friday and carefully stacked them high in the nurse’s office ahead of distribution to students and their families.
For the fifth or sixth year in a row, Chatham Village Foods donated about fifty Thanksgiving dinners to the Wareham Middle School, where staff will distribute them to families.
“This is all from the associates,” said James Wooding, safety manager for the company. “The company donates the turkeys.”
Each box includes a turkey, along with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetables, and a dessert. This year, the boxes also include tips to help people celebrate Thanksgiving safely.
“The need is there, especially this year,” said Sue Akins, the school nurse.
Another school employee said that some people had cried with gratitude when she called to see if they would like a box.
Wooding said he and his coworkers plan to keep donating every year. He was joined at the school by Victor Viera, Diana Andrade, Felix Castillo, and Jesus Mendoza, who helped to organize the donation.
