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TD Garden Hosts 29th 'Table of Friends' Thanksgiving for Boston’s Unhoused

Organizers used the tradition to warn that federal housing cuts could leave about 1,400 Boston residents without permanent homes.

Overview

  • Volunteers including Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox served a meal featuring 800 pounds of turkey, 600 pounds of stuffing, 450 pounds of vegetables, 10 gallons of cranberry sauce, and a 501‑pound pumpkin pie.
  • The arena was set with 1,000 chairs, and many guests were brought in by bus from local shelters.
  • TD Garden’s culinary team prepared the feast over three days while still serving 19,000 guests nightly for other events, according to executive chef Jason Gorman.
  • Friends of Boston’s Homeless highlighted rising need and cautioned that federal funding changes could soon push roughly 1,400 formerly housed people into homelessness.
  • Organizers cited long-term impact, with more than 22,000 meals served over the initiative’s history, over $110,000 directed to the Housing Start-Up Fund, and a new $100,000 donation from the Bruins and Celtics foundations to the Greater Boston Food Bank.