The Pine Street Inn in Boston served Thanksgiving dinner to over 2,000 people this year. The shelter, which helps the homeless year-round, hosted its annual feast with the help of volunteers and staff. Chef Frank Van Overbeeke said, "It’s a special day of the year for everybody but it’s especially challenging for anyone who is homeless because Thanksgiving is all about family and if they are here, they are probably not with family so it means that much more to them," according to NBC Boston.
Charlie McAvoy, a Bruins defenseman, volunteered at a Thanksgiving event for people experiencing homelessness, making it a tradition to help each year. He shared, "I think everybody deserves that feeling of family, having a place to go and being able to have some Thanksgiving food on a day like this." The event also focused on the shelter's efforts to fight long-term homelessness and provide permanent housing for its guests, as reported by NBC Boston.
Executive Director Lyndia Downie expressed gratitude for the community's support in reducing homelessness, stating, "We’re about 9%, the national average is 22% so we’ve done really good job bringing those numbers down thanks to so many people in this room." The annual event also celebrated personal successes, including Mayra De Jesus, a Pine Street job training program graduate, who shared her excitement about moving into her own home. "I’m going to moving into my own place, hopefully by Christmas I’ll be in there, so I’m like so excited and Pine Street is like my second family so just to go through this journey with them and have them for support in my back its all the best," as stated by NBC Boston.
Pine Street Inn helps Boston's vulnerable population every day, not just on Thanksgiving. They provide shelter, meals, and housing support, helping people like Myra, who went from needing help to getting a job and finding a home. "I am so excited by the idea of starting fresh in a new place," Myra said. Volunteers and donations are key to the Inn's work, giving people the chance to rebuild their lives, as mentioned by WCVB.
