PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Thanksgiving Angels coordinators Hope Amandos and Gretchen DeBartolo have been selected as the October Community Heroes of the Month.
The Community Hero of the Month series recognizes individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted their community. This month's nomination concludes the series, which is in partnership with Haddad Auto.
For 13 years, hundreds of community members have banded together to ensure every family can have an authentic Thanksgiving meal with turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and vegetables.
"Thanksgiving is you're supposed to be thankful. It's a rough time, it's a crazy time in the world. I mean, so much conflict that, I think we do need to be thankful for what we have, whether it's your family or you're with friends, it's just to keep us going," Amandos said.
"It's a sad world, for the most part, for a lot of things. [With Thanksgiving Angels,] you can sit down [and] know somebody else is having a meal because you put a little effort in."
Those who sign up receive all the ingredients and instructions on how to cook the feast so everybody can experience every part of the holiday, from the cooking to the aroma of a freshly cooked meal and full bellies.
"It's easier to enjoy Thanksgiving yourself when you know that the people around you that need it are able to enjoy Thanksgiving also," DeBartolo said.
"It's hard to be have a good time when you know somebody's hurting. So, we try and fill that need."
The collective started when various organizations doing similar Thanksgiving meal programs decided to consolidate their efforts and resources into one coordinated and more efficient effort, becoming what is now known as the Thanksgiving Angels, DeBartolo said.
"[The organizations questioned] why should we duplicate our efforts? Let's all work together and do a better job and serve more people, and they get more variety. They don't just get a turkey. They get everything," DeBartolo said.
Thanksgiving Angels collaborates with 23 community partners, including local organizations, churches, and civic groups. These partners include Berkshire United Way, Soldier On, and South Congregational Church, where the South Community Food Pantry is located, among others.
The Thanksgiving Angels program benefits nearly 2,000 families and close to 8,000 individuals, said Brenda Petell, Berkshire United Way Director of Volunteer Engagement.
"Thanksgiving Angels is just a blessing to so many families to be able to put a beautiful Thanksgiving traditional meal on the table every year," she said.
"A hero is somebody that does an act for someone else without reward, giving them their heart and soul to make somebody else safe or happy … [Amandos and DeBartolo] give countless hours year-round," said Ann Doyle, Thanksgiving Angels treasurer.
"It doesn't we don't stop at Thanksgiving ... They have to reorganize, look to what we did and how we can do it better, and how to serve the community better. It's a year-round job for them. It's not something just for Thanksgiving, and they do that, and they do it in a loving way."
When the pandemic hit, the program had to find a new way to distribute the food, so it implemented the drive-up method, which was quicker, DeBartolo said.
The duo decided to maintain this method but also implemented technology to help stay organized and up-to-date on how much families need and streamline the distribution process.
"The big thing this year is the way we're signing up people. We're doing it with the bar code, and they'll get a little card that [participants] will present when they come in to hopefully expedite the movement of cars through the parking lot," DeBartolo said.
When they sign up, participants are given the card, which volunteers will scan when they drive up. Once scanned, volunteers will know immediately what size the family is and put their food in the vehicle.
"It gives us the numbers right away. We'll know how many people came through," Amandos said.
Amandos and DeBartolo emphasized that they are "cogs" in an "enormous wheel." It is all the volunteers that keep this program running.
Last year, the program had about 325 volunteers who worked a total of 1990 hours, Petell said.
"The number of dinners we give out have increased significantly in the last few years. It is a community effort. It is a thing of joy for all the volunteers … there's a spirit about it that is just enriching to everybody that's involved and to the people that receive," Doyle said.
"We're here with a smile. We don't turn anybody away. We don't ask any questions. We give them a dinner so they're comfortable on Thanksgiving Day and can enjoy the fruits of the labor of so many volunteers."
Berkshire United Way helps the program handle the volunteers, including recruitment, management, welcoming, and orientation.
"I think it's so important because the cost of food has just grown tremendously, and the need in our community is great. I spend a lot of time helping food pantries and visiting food pantries to understand the need, and we know that kids can't learn if they're going to school hungry and things like that," Petell said.
"So knowing that one day a year, they can put on this beautiful meal thanks to this program is so beneficial to all the families who might not be able to afford it otherwise."
Amandos and DeBartolo run Thanksgiving Angels on a volunteer basis. Amandos is a personal care attendant, and DeBartolo recently retired from working at a dental office.
In their jobs, the duo said they saw the great need to address community needs due to financial restraints.
Amandos has volunteered for the Thanksgiving Angels for about 10 years and DeBartolo for 13. DeBartolo also volunteers for the South Community Food Pantry.
Thanksgiving Angels volunteers also highlighted how the need for this program has grown over the years.
"More and more people are in need or willing to come out, especially since the pandemic, because [the pantry] stayed open all during the pandemic, and we just kept going, and now there's more need than ever because of all the influx of new people into the area," said Mary Wheat, South Community Food Pantry volunteer coordinator and former Thanksgiving Angels leader.
Wheat has been with the Thanksgiving Angels since its inception, leading the program up until two years ago when she passed the baton over to Amandos and DeBartolo.
The Thanksgiving Angels gives those in need a happier Thanksgiving because it gives them a special meal with the family, she said.
"I think when the kids, especially, go to school and they talk about their holiday they can also say they had a holiday meal, and there's not so much disparaging between the two economic groups," Wheat said.
The Thanksgiving Angels still need about 150 more volunteers to fill the gap and help get all the meals out the door for this coming Thanksgiving, Petell said.
The volunteers begin on Nov. 7 and go through November 26. The largest one-day effort will take place on Monday, Nov. 26. "So, it gives people plenty of time to let that frozen turkey thaw" for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 28, Petell said.
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