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Thank You for Spreading Joy from Family to Family

Thank you to all who participated in the 2023 Family-to-Family program. With your help we are able to give gift bags to over 700 local families and seniors. Thanks to all of the volunteers who helped organize and distribute the bags and a special thanks to Carolyn Coffin who once again expertly managed the program. Regardless of what winter holiday you and our clients celebrate, there was more joy this season because of all of you.

We hope you will join us again in 2024!

We are very excited to announce our the return of one of our most popular programs: our Family-to-Family Holiday Drive!

This year we again invite you to create a holiday gift bag for either a local family and/or a senior who may be struggling this year. Past donors have said:

  • “Our family is excited to help out this year and we hope our participation will become a new holiday tradition.”
  • “This is a great way for people to contribute. Thank you for letting us help.”
  • “Thank you for the opportunity to share my good fortune.”
  • “Love this project – looking forward to it!”
  • “Thanks for this opportunity. It makes our Christmas a happier one.”
  • “Thank you! This is the most meaningful activity my family does during the holidays!” 

You will be provided with a list of suggested items to fill a gift bag. And we will send reminders and other information each of the first 12 days of December. Please leave all items unwrapped; this will allow us to more easily give the bag to an appropriate individual or family.

Gift bags will be collected in Maynard (33 Main Street) on Friday, December 15, 2-6pm and in Concord (40 Beharrell Street) on Saturday, December 16, 10am-1pm. Clients will receive gift bags with the final food distribution of 2023.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to make the holidays more meaningful not only for the families who rely on Open Table, but for your family, too.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact the coordinator, Carolyn, at ccoffin@opentable.org

 

Open Table 2023 Family to Family Shopping List

Family-to-Family Registration

Let's Get Started!

Take a moment with your family to discuss how food security impacts our community. While it is commonly called “hunger”, “food insecurity” is a more accurate term. When a person or family is food insecure, their struggles will likely be invisible to us. Food insecurity means that access to healthy, nutritious food may be limited or uncertain. Open Table is committed to filling the gaps for folks in our local communities, so that people do not have to choose between buying healthy food and paying for other necessities like housing and medicine.

Collect a different themed item each day and add it to the gift bag.  After 12 days, deliver the bag to Open Table or bring to one of our drop-off events. Note: Please make sure all gift items remain unwrapped; this will allow us to more easily give the bag to the appropriate individual or family. We’ll add more items to help our guests over the week that we are closed, and we’ll distribute the bags to our clients. Together we will bring More Love, Less Hunger to our community!

Family to Family 2023 Day 1: Movie Night Snack

Did you know?  In 2023 Open Table has experienced a significant increase in demand for food. In response, we have distributed 37% more food this fiscal year compared to 2022.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 2: Special Breakfast

Did you know? A 2023 report by the Greater Boston Food Bank Survey revealed 33% of Massachusetts households included a child who had gone hungry, skipped a meal, or didn’t eat for an entire day in the past month. We all know the importance of a healthy breakfast, but for these households breakfast is often the meal that is skipped.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 3: Fun Activity

Did you know? Food pantries and other benefits can help families who struggle to make ends meet. But food insecurity adds enormous stress to a family, making time spent on a game or activity even more important.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 4: Gift Card

Did you know? Even with the help of government assistance programs like SNAP, our families struggle to meet basic needs. SNAP doesn’t cover things like diapers, feminine hygiene products, or toothpaste. Your gift card will help.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 5: Favorite Baking Mix

Did you know? This year, from July to September, Open Table saw an increase of almost 80% in new households served compared to the same period last year.

Open Table family to Family 2023 Day 6: Moisturizer

Did you know? When a family has to choose between buying enough healthy food and paying the electric bill, a simple tube of hand cream or moisturizer becomes an unaffordable luxury. According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 70% of food-insecure Massachusetts families have had to make the choice between buying food or paying a utility.

Open Table family to Family 2023 Day 7: warming Drinks

Did you know? Food insecurity affects families in many ways. For those who struggle to feed their families, rates of anxiety and depression are nearly twice as high as in the general population.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 8: Kitchen Towel

Did you know? Sixty percent of families with children who experience food insecurity turn to food pantries for help. That rate has just about doubled since 2019.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 9: Holiday Sweet

Did you know? According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 33% of Massachusetts households experienced food insecurity in 2022, and that number has been rising every year. For these families, money is rarely available for the little extras that can make family life sweeter.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 10: Olive Oil

Did you know? Cooking oil is one of the most highly requested items at Open Table. Ingredients like olive oil are expensive, and often become luxuries for families trying to put healthy food on the table.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 11: Toast Spread

Did you know? In the first three months of our fiscal year, Open Table distributed over 20,000 fresh and frozen meals. This represented an increase of over 50% from the same period the year before.

Open Table Family to Family 2023 Day 12: Holiday Favorites

Did you know? When households experience food insecurity, their number one approach is to buy the cheapest food available. A poor quality diet impacts our physical, cognitive and emotional health and is associated with chronic diseases.

Open Table’s clients are your neighbors, classmates, co-workers and friends. You would not know that a client of Open Table was experiencing food insecurity if you saw them at your school, house of worship, place of business or on the sidewalk in your neighborhood.    Open Table strives to create a welcoming environment for all people by making  fresh, healthy food accessible. We believe in preserving the dignity of each client by offering as much choice as is possible. Please know that your participation in our Family-to-Family 12 Days of Giving Program has brought some holiday joy to your neighbors! We, and our clients, are grateful for you!