Urban Farming Institute answers the call to help needy families with turkey drive
- mffcweb
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Urban Farming Institute in Mattapan distributed 650 turkey baskets on Thursday (Nov. 20) as the non-profit helped neighbors get prepared for next week’s Thanksgiving holiday.
By 10 a.m., a line of enthusiastic neighbors that started in front of the yellow Fowler-Clark- Epstein Farm building wrapped around the sidewalk along Norfolk Street. It ebbed and flowed throughout the day as 15 volunteers distributed the fresh turkeys and boxes of Thanksgiving trimmings to local families.
“We are having just a wonderful day being able to provide food, sustenance for our amazing community during these times of cuts and concerns with so many programs that people rely on in regards to both food security and health,” said Patricia Spence, President and CEO of UFI. “We have an amazing community, and we’re just trying to do our part. We’re all here so that people will stay healthy during these times.”
With recent reductions in SNAP benefits and rising food prices, people all across the city are experiencing food insecurity. This year, just as they have since 2020, UFI made it their mission to ensure those in Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester had everything they needed for a holiday feast.
“It started during Covid with 100 turkeys in 2020,” Spence told the Reporter. “We planned to do 400 last year, and we did 475. We planned to do 500 this year, and we’re doing 650. We have had a wonderful distribution list, and we know organizations and people who know exactly where the need is in the community.”
She added: “Not only where the need is, but also [they] know the people who will be too proud to ask for help.”
Instead of waiting for people to seek assistance, UFI identified a list of recipients and told them when and where to be to pick up the supplies.
The turkeys were purchased from Stonewood Farm in Orwell, Vermont.
“They are, in fact, the best turkeys,” said Spence. “I always say this, just because you’re in need does not mean you can’t have the best.”
As the shipment of turkeys was en roite, the UFI volunteers assembled boxes of locally-sourced produce like apples, onions, butternut squash, and sweet potato, as well as traditional trimmings like cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, and brownie mix. These were made possible by the Boston Food Hub with funds donated by The Boston Foundation, Takeda, and New England Community Project Inc.
Vickey Siggers, food access manager for the Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition, was one of the volunteers who arrived to pick up baskets for neighborhood families.
She referred to UFI as “a place where you can breathe,” and “a place where you can come and get a good hug,” something she got as soon as she saw Spence.
“As Covid has gone away and things have settled down, we really thought we had a moment to breathe, then the government shut down and they took away people’s SNAP and our ability to buy food,” Siggers said. “People understand we have to take care of each other.”
Beyond the holiday rush, Spence and Siggers (pictured above) suggest residents in need of help look into the different resources at UFI and the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition.
Friday (Nov. 21) is UFI’s final Farm Stand Friday of the season, but the work to address food concerns continues.
“We’re going to do a smaller version of a winter farm stand for the first time,” said Spence. “We’ll bring food in and have other pantry items like eggs.”
She added, “On top of that, because of all the concerns recently, I said, ‘let’s do a campaign for nonperishable items.’ We had a goal, and we had an anonymous donor. We already met our goal, and we already started delivering.”
Like the turkeys, the non-perishables are, according to Spence, “going to very specific places. We’re trying to do it particularly for people who don’t have access to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Every pantry doesn’t have Greater Boston Food Bank, so we are looking for the places locally.”
To get involved in next year’s annual holiday turkey drive or to learn more about the various resources and opportunities at UFI, visit https://www.urbanfarminginstitute.org/.
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