Volunteers from Youth Options Unlimited Deliver Thanksgiving Cheer

Nov 28, 2014

Thanksgiving came early this year for one community of senior citizens in Dorchester thanks to volunteers from Youth Options Unlimited (YOU) Boston. Last Sunday, nearly a dozen young men and women from the workforce development program that provides enriching opportunities for court-involved and gang-affiliated youth teamed up with members of the Boston Police Department’s District B-3 community policing division to prepare and serve 250 free Thanksgiving meals to older adults at the annual Unity Sports and Cultural Association’s Senior Citizens Thanksgiving Luncheon.

YOU Boston is a division of the City of Boston’s Office of Jobs and Community Services, both of which are supported by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

The early holiday celebration was a chance to recognize young adults that are working to overcome their troubled pasts by taking a leading role in building community through meaningful service-learning projects. A $1.5 million U.S. Department of Labor Training and Service Learning Grant that began in 2012 and runs through the end of this year supports the YOU Boston initiative.

Through events and service projects such as the luncheon, YOU Boston and its partners hope to instill a sense of community responsibility in the youth. The initiatives aim to enhance their learning experience, teach leadership skills, and encourage lifelong civic engagement so that they are more likely to invest positively in their communities. 

We hope you and yours had a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving!