By Kim Siebert MacPhail
As the Thanksgiving holiday approached—and then arrived—four efforts to provide food, coats, and funds to individuals and families in need met with overwhelming success in Bedford.
Two efforts initiated by John Dodge more than 20 years ago—funds for St. Francis House shelter and coats for the homeless—experienced the most successful year, ever. The fund drive reaped more than $2,600 outside the polls on Election Day and Dodge collected over 300 coats, standing in his usual spot on The Great Road in front of the Bedford Shopping Center on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
The Bedford Family Connection reported that their pie drive to benefit the Bedford Food Pantry yielded 85 pies, 25 more than anticipated. Organizer Annmarie Silver said, “We have such a generous community, which makes me proud to live in Bedford.”
The 7th Annual Turkey Trot 5K race held on Thanksgiving morning to benefit the Bedford Food Pantry also surpassed previous fundraising records. Organizer Rich Hamilton posted the results on the event’s Facebook page saying, “We had a great Turkey Trot, selling out with over 220 runners and walkers….and the best news of all, we broke our donation record for the Bedford Food Pantry by raising over $4200.00!!!”
Donations can still be given directly to St. Francis House: https://www.stfrancishouse.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SFH_homepage
The Bedford Food Pantry gratefully accepts donations, year round: https://www.bedfordfoodpantry.org/content/donate
