Longtime initiative hopes to surpass last year’s distribution of 1,000 baskets
Dates to know – from sign up – to packing – to distribution
For the past 16 years, Pawtucket First Lady Laureen Grebien has helped lead an annual Thanksgiving tradition that has brought holiday meals to thousands of Pawtucket families. This year, as Mayor Donald R. Grebien prepares to leave office in January, she is gearing up for her final Turkey Basket Drive as Pawtucket’s First Lady.
And she hopes to make it the biggest one yet.
“It’s unfortunate that the need continues to grow year after year,” Grebien said. “But every year, we’ve found a way to increase our capacity and reach more families in our community. I want this final drive to be our biggest yet, and I hope we can continue to show what Pawtucket is all about — neighbors helping neighbors.”
Organizers hope to assemble and distribute no less than 1,000 Thanksgiving baskets this year — and hopefully more. The final number will depend on the generous cash and in-kind donations received from local businesses, banks, organizations and residents.
Pawtucket residents must register in advance to receive a Thanksgiving basket. Registration will take place in the City Hall foyer on Thursday, October 8, from 1 to 6 p.m., and Tuesday, October 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Last year, the drive distributed 1,000 Thanksgiving baskets to Pawtucket families.
“We saw the need growing, and I just didn’t feel we could turn people away if there was something more we could do,” Grebien said. “This year, I would love to surpass the 1,000 baskets we distributed last Thanksgiving. We have the volunteers willing to do the work. Now we need the community’s help to make it happen.”
Approximately 70 to 100 volunteers — including students, civic organization members, City employees and other community volunteers — are expected to participate in packing night. Each basket will contain traditional Thanksgiving food items, with turkeys distributed along with the baskets.
At press time, Fall River-based Gold Medal Bakery has donated 1,000 loaves of bread. Additional donations from businesses, banks and Pawtucket residents will be used to purchase food and fill the baskets.
Of the baskets assembled, 300 are already earmarked for distribution through Pawtucket schools, while another 25 will be distributed through the City’s Leon Mathieu Senior Center.
Herb Weiss, deputy director of the Leon Mathieu Senior Center, has worked on the Turkey Basket Drive since 2003, when First Lady Joan Doyle, wife of then-Mayor James E. Doyle, helped oversee the holiday initiative. He has watched the program grow significantly during Laureen Grebien’s 16 years as First Lady.
“After Laureen had a few of these drives under her belt, I used to joke with her that this wasn’t her first rodeo. I even gave her a spur to remind her of it,” Weiss recalled. “Well, now it’s been 16 rodeos. I’ve watched this initiative grow under her leadership, but what hasn’t changed is the time and heart she puts into making sure Pawtucket families have a Thanksgiving dinner. When she leaves City Hall in January, those are going to be some big shoes to fill.”
“The Turkey Basket Drive has always shown me what kind of community Pawtucket is,” Grebien said. “Businesses donate, volunteers give us their time, City employees pitch in, and people throughout Pawtucket step forward to help neighbors they may never even meet. That generosity is what has kept this effort going year after year.”
Volunteers will assemble the Thanksgiving baskets on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at M & G Trucking and Transportation, 444 Narragansett Park Drive, Pawtucket.
Distribution will take place on Monday, November 23, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at
Those wishing to support the Turkey Basket Drive may make checks payable to Pawtucket Turkey Basket Drive and mail them to:
Pawtucket Turkey Basket Drive
c/o Jeannine Bourski
City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket, RI 02860
For questions or additional information about the Pawtucket Turkey Basket Drive, contact Program Coordinator Sandy Benson at [email protected].
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