Hours before the first cars will pull into the driveway at Shrewsbury’s Scandinavian Athletic Club parking lot, volunteers are filling individual bags with everything families need for a Thanksgiving dinner. This year 266 people have requested a meal basket, more than any year since COVID. They don’t have to prove any hardship or financial status to receive a basket. They just have to ask. As long as there are baskets, no one will be turned away.
Organizer Andrea Castinetti moves among volunteers with greetings and hugs explaining how they’ll build the baskets and handing out bags. She launched the event eight years ago. She fundraises on her Facebook page, works with local businesses that provide the side dishes, and leads a team of volunteers-many of whom return every year.
If this were Andrea’s only community service, it would be significant. She runs the turkey drive while also running a successful real estate business. She and her 43 agents focus on selling homes in Central Massachusetts but also work in Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island. She opened her office in 2017, the same year she launched the turkey drive. With a vast network of connections, she is able to put out the word when there is a need to be met in Shrewsbury and people quickly answer the call. It seems she is always thinking about people who need help.
Fundraiser for Shrewsbury father killed
Two months ago, after Kevin Doherty was killed, she organized the vigil and a fundraising effort for Kevin’s family that raised $100,000. Kevin was shot after dropping his son at school. He had called police to report a man marking a bridge with graffiti. His death devastated his children and fiancée and shocked his grieving community. For many, the gathering Andrea organized was the first step in a healing process…