In its 32nd year, the Menino family continued a tradition that honors Boston’s late Mayor Thomas Menino by conducting their annual toy drive on Christmas Eve. This community event saw the delivery of toys to more than 300 families in the Bowdoin-Geneva area, keeping alive a legacy of festive generosity set in motion by the former mayor back in 1993. Samantha Menino, granddaughter of Thomas Menino, expressed the family’s commitment to persist the work her grandfather began, saying to WCVB, “It is awesome because I was riding in the car with him when he was doing this, when he was passing out the toys.”
The event, which took place at Dorchester’s Teen Center at St. Peter, not only served as a distribution hub for thousands of gifts but also as a beacon of the community spirit. “The children in this community need some sort of belonging and some place to go that feels like home,” Samantha Menimo eloquently reflected in an interview with WHDH. Current Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, along with religious leadership including Boston’s Archbishop Richard G. Henning, joined hands with the Menino family to bring a moment of joy and hope to families grappling with economic pressures.
Boston’s late Mayor Thomas Menino had a distinct vision for the holidays in his city; he wanted to make sure no child felt forgotten. Organizers noted that the late mayor would walk Bowdoin-Geneva every Christmas Eve, reaching out to businesses, community groups, and nonprofit organizations. This ritual has profoundly impacted the fabric of the local community, and many local entities including the Thomas M. Menino Fund for Boston and Catholic Charities have continued to support this cause with their contributions…