It’s the holiday season, which means eggnog, twinkling lights and awkward conversations with your in-laws (yes, Uncle Ted, we still drive a school bus full of fruit for a living). Many of our favorite holiday memories take place in the kitchen or around the dinner table. Whether it’s frying a turkey or grandma’s green bean casserole there’s nothing quite like getting together and sharing family recipes and food heritage. Although Thanksgiving isn’t known for being a health-centered holiday, some of our favorite dishes like sweet potatoes, green beans, and squash are full of vitamins and fiber. Preparing and eating fresh food is the cornerstone of our health, even on a holiday where some of us wear special pants to accommodate an extra slice of pie.
This is also the time of year when boxes start popping up in offices, classrooms, and churches to collect canned food donations for hungry families. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for these types of food drives to store and distribute fresh food. This means that some families end up with a Thanksgiving dinner prepared entirely from an assortment of boxes or cans.
To bridge the fresh food gap this holiday season Fresh Truck is partnering with Boston Public Market to provide more fresh food to families. During the BPM ‘Share an Extra’ campaign from November 17th-2Oth, shoppers can contribute fresh, locally sourced, food to a Boston family in need. All of the extras purchased will be loaded onto Fresh Truck and delivered to the Charles Street AME Church in Grove Hall. On November 22nd families will be given $1O gift cards to select the food they would like to prepare for Thanksgiving. Having fresh food to cook with and enjoy for the holidays will mean the world to these families.
If you can’t make it to Boston Public Market to participate in the ‘Share an Extra’ campaign, you can make a fresh food donation to Boston families this holiday via our website.
There are several other great organizations who work to get more fresh food to families in need: