VOL 26 ISSUE 48, Dec. 1, 2025
Main caption: Pictured with the 501-pound pumpkin pie served at Table of Friends are (left to right) Jason Gorman, TD Garden executive chef; Sharon Durkan, Boston city councilor; Bill Chisholm, chairman and governor of the Boston Celtics; Bill’s wife, Kimberly Chisholm; Joanna Lydgate, first partner of Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey; Glen Thornborough, president of TD Garden and chief operating officer of the Boston Bruins; Charlie Jacobs, Delaware North CEO and Boston Bruins CEO; and Charlie’s wife, Liz Jacobs.
The 29th annual “Table of Friends” took place Nov. 25 at the company-owned TD Garden in Boston, where more than 1,000 neighbors in need received a hot Thanksgiving meal prepared by the arena’s culinary team of 10 chefs and 250 cooks, led by TD Garden Executive Chef Jason Gorman.
“We have several kitchens throughout the building, so each kitchen is responsible for preparing some parts of the meal today,” Gorman told The Boston Globe. “We strive to make everything from scratch.”
TD Garden partners with Friends of Boston’s Homeless to serve what is considered the city’s largest Thanksgiving meal, providing warm hospitality and food to about 1,000 people. Volunteers helped serve approximately:
- 800 pounds of turkey
- 600 pounds of stuffing
- 450 pounds of vegetables
- 10 gallons of cranberry sauce
- A 501-pound pumpkin pie
A signature twist at Table of Friends is the meatballs – an unusual Thanksgiving side that has become a beloved tradition at the event.
Gorman told CBS News Boston that this year’s meal also included a festive fall leaf cookie served alongside the classic pumpkin pie.
Above: Charlie Jacobs (right), Delaware North CEO and Boston Bruins CEO, and Glen Thornborough (left), president of TD Garden and chief operating officer of the Bruins, serve community members at the 13th annual Table of Friends.
Glen Thornborough, president of TD Garden and chief operating officer of the Boston Bruins, recognized the volunteers who came together during a busy Bruins and Boston Celtics season to make the event possible.
“We have hundreds of volunteers, an army of people putting together this wonderful meal, and it gives us an opportunity to share something back in the community,” said Thornborough, who volunteered at the event alongside hundreds of Boston-based team members and community volunteers.
Above: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and her daughter Mira volunteering at Table of Friends.
Delaware North CEO and Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs also attended and volunteered at Table of Friends, along with several local and state officials: Bill Chisholm, chairman and governor of the Boston Celtics; Michelle Wu, Boston mayor; Joanna Lydgate, first lady of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Michael Cox, commissioner of the Boston Police Department; Paul Burke, commissioner of the Boston Fire Department; Jim Hooley, chief of Boston Emergency Services; Sheila Dillon, Boston’s chief of housing; and Jim Greene, director of the Boston Emergency Shelter Commission. Boston Bruins alumni Barry Pederson, Kenny Hodge Jr. and John Bucyk also joined the event.
CBS Boston News captured a video of the event, which was also covered by WHDH-Channel 7 and NBC10 Boston.
The Boston Bruins Foundation and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation also announced during the 13th annual event a $100,000 donation to the Greater Boston Food Bank in support of their fight against the increase in food insecurity across Massachusetts.
Since the inaugural Table of Friends, the initiative has provided more than 22,000 meals and contributed over $110,000 to the Housing Start-Up Fund, helping hundreds of people in Boston transition into permanent housing.
In the spirit of giving back during the holidays, TD Garden also hosted a clothing drive last month, donating 600 sweatshirts and cold-weather gear to the nonprofit Emerald Necklace Conservancy for distribution to neighbors in need.