Walk past 52 Mechanic Street this November and you'll see our front window slowly fill with paper hands. Each one carries a name. Each one stands for a neighbor who decided that no family in North Central Massachusetts should face the holidays with an empty table.

That's what this campaign is about.

Ginny White started Ginny's Helping Hand in 1978 with a yard sale and a simple belief: people don't need a handout, they need a hand up. This is our first holiday season without her, and we can't think of a better way to honor her than a window full of hands.

The need has never been greater. In 2025, our pantry welcomed more than 64,000 guest visits, and the holidays are when families feel the squeeze most. Through our Baskets of Hope program, we're planning to provide complete holiday meals to 600 families at Thanksgiving and 600 at Christmas: protein, fresh produce, dairy, and all the sides.

Here's how you can help:

$25 fills half of a family's holiday basket
$55 provides one family's complete holiday meal
$100 covers one family at both Thanksgiving and Christmas
$250 provides holiday meals for five families
$500 provides holiday meals for ten families (businesses: your name goes up in our window)
$1,000 provides holiday meals for twenty families

Every gift earns a hand in our window with your name on it (or keep it anonymous, your choice). You can also dedicate your hand in honor or in memory of someone you love.

Give online here, or stop by the pantry and add your hand in person. Either way, you'll be part of something our whole community can see.

Let's fill the window together.

A Hand Up for the 2026 Holidays

Every hand in our window is a family at a full holiday table. Help us reach 1,200.