Dorchester YMCA-Carney Hospital Flu Clinic: l-r, Kevin Washington, CEO YMCA of Greater Boston; Kathy Townsend, Executive Director Dorchester YMCA; Shirley Alexander Hunt; Andy Davis, CEO Carney Hospital; Dr. Miguel Concepcion and Xavier Alexander, receiving his flu shot.The Dorchester YMCA celebrated unity and giving on Saturday with three events to bring the community together.

“It was diverse, inclusive, a day of safety and unity, which was all in the spirit of giving,” said Kathy Townsend, executive director of the Dorchester YMCA.

“We started out with our annual Stop & Shop turkey giveaway,” said Townsend. “We gave away 250 turkeys.”

The turkey giveaway was one of twelve sponsored by Stop & Shop throughout New England.

“We strive to be a better neighbor both in and out of our stores and we are committed to fighting hunger in our communities year round,” said Joe Kelley, president of Stop & Shop New England.
“We understand that the holidays can be particularly difficult for families in need, so we encourage everyone to share a meal and give thanks this holiday season,” he said. “Together, we can help support the families who depend on hunger relief organizations when they need it most.”

The Dorchester YMCA followed up its morning turkey giveaway with its first free flu clinic in partnership with Carney Hospital. The clinic provided community individuals and families the opportunity to get their flu shot completely free of charge.

“Eastern Bank was present and provided giveaways as they promoted the importance of being financially healthy,” said Townsend. “We ended with our first basketball tournament, partnered with the Boston NAACP office, with close to 100 people in the building.”

The 3-on-3-basketball tournament was open to the public, and participating teams paid a small entry fee. All proceeds will provide scholarships for local teens’ membership in both the YMCA and their local NAACP chapter.

“We would like to see all our community partnerships grow with Carney Hospital, Stop & Shop, Eastern Bank and Boston NAACP to better serve our community to promote social responsibility, healthy living, and youth development, and more important to promote unity amongst the young people,” said Townsend.