WORCESTER – It’s going to be a memorable Thanksgiving for Michael Burroughs.
His “big family” will sit down at the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day and the centerpiece will be not one, but two turkeys.
Burroughs lugged two frozen turkeys home after picking them up Thursday at a turkey giveaway collaboration between the city of Worcester and Stop & Shop.
“I can’t really afford a turkey, that’s why I’m here,” said the 49-year-old Burroughs.
Cars lined up for the pickup, while Burroughs and others walked up and were handed the turkeys from the back of a Stop & Shop truck. The grocer’s crew quickly sliced open boxes, pulled out the birds, put them in bags and handed them out to people who registered for the pickup.
It all happened outside a boarded-up Stop & Shop in Lincoln Plaza at 545 Lincoln St., one of several statewide that recently closed. Underperforming stores were targeted for closure, according to Stop & Shop’s parent company, Dutch-based Ahold Delhaize.
Of the 2,500 turkeys distributed, 1,000 went to families of students in the Worcester Public Schools. The rest were for residents who live nearby in Lincoln Village and properties run by the Worcester Housing Authority, other local organizations and faith-based groups. Any leftovers were donated to El Buen Samaritano Food Program.
“We’re giving turkeys to folks who need it the most,” said Eliana Agudelo, chief of staff for Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, who helped check in people.
The shutting down of the Lincoln Plaza Stop & Shop hit some residents hard. Lisa Morillo and her 12-year-old daughter Bella received a turkey. They live close by, in the Great Brook Valley public housing development, and Morillo said she had shopped weekly at the Lincoln Plaza Stop & Shop.
Not to have the store is “so inconvenient,” she said. “It was so close to home.”
It’s unclear what will replace the shuttered store. Stop & Shop and the city had discussions about how the closure is affecting residents, said Stephanie Cunha, external communications manager at Stop & Shop. She was on-site Thursday to help make sure the giveaway ran smoothly.
“We want to make sure that people continue to have access to warm food, especially during the holiday season, especially as Thanksgiving is such a holiday that’s centered around food,” said Cunha. “So, it’s really important for us to show up and do this for the city today.”
Meanwhile, Burroughs is thankful for his two turkeys that will help feed his family on Thanksgiving Day. His wife, Makada, will do all the cooking.
“I’ll do all the food prep,” said Burroughs. “It’s going to be nice. Having a turkey, now I can invite more people.”
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.
