For hundreds of lucky families in our BHA communities, the Thanksgiving holiday just got a little bit brighter. Due to several generous partners and the efforts of BHA staff, 470 resident families will have turkey dinners on their Thanksgiving tables.

With a special donation from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, more than 200 resident families at Ruth Barkley Apartments in the South End received free “Kinnealey Meats” frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving! A special thanks to the Blue Cross Blue Shield/Big Sister team, Ruth Barkley’s management, staff and all of our resident volunteers who stepped up to help distribute the turkeys throughout the development.

We also want to thank BHA Police and BC High School’s Models of Leadership class for donating another 270 Thanksgiving meals to resident families throughout the city.  BHA Police and BC High quietly team up every year and coordinate with development managers to provide Thanksgiving meals to BHA families.  What started with one turkey dinner delivery at the Archdale development 24 years ago has grown into an annual BHAPD effort for hundreds of families.

This is the second time this year that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston made a difference for Ruth Barkley and its residents. This September, they joined us for their annual Service Day, where volunteers, employees and residents came together to clean, repaint, and reorganize spaces in the development’s community center and shared outdoor areas.