A Thanksgiving Tradition with a Mission

One basket.
One family.
One powerful thank-you.

Help provide a complete Thanksgiving meal for a local Veteran or military family through Veteran Pathways of New England.

Count me in See what goes inside

Thursday, November 12, 2026 • 4–6 PM
Drive-up drop-off at Keller Williams Realty Merrimack Valley in Westford.

3annual drives completed

247baskets delivered in 2025

100%community powered

Save the date

Drive up. We'll unload. Every kind of contribution is welcome.

NOV 12

2026 Blessing Basket Drop-Off

Thursday, November 12, 2026 • 4–6 PM

Keller Williams Realty Merrimack Valley
3 Lan Drive, Westford, Massachusetts

Easy drive-up collection

Pull up directly in front of the office and volunteers will help unload your completed baskets. No need to park or carry them inside.

Not building a basket?

We are happy to collect monetary donations and useful goods for Veterans, including new socks, knit hats, toiletries, pet food and other thoughtful necessities.

The date, time and easy drive-up location are set. Additional participant details will be shared by email as the event gets closer.

Generosity in action

A community fills more than baskets.

Every basket is assembled by a neighbor, family, office, local business or community group—and delivered with gratitude to local Veterans and military families.

A sunlit room filled with completed Blessing Baskets — 247 baskets came together in 2025

A Blessing Basket filled with food, socks and household necessities — Meals, comforts and thoughtful extras

Community volunteers standing behind donated Thanksgiving baskets — Neighbors and partners make it possible

Volunteers unloading Blessing Baskets outside the collection site — Many hands carry the mission forward

Volunteers delivering donated food at Veteran Pathways of New England — Delivered to Veteran Pathways of New England

VFW Post 6539 decorated with a Thank You Veterans banner — Rooted in respect for those who served

How it started

A simple idea became a community movement.

In 2023, Mary McCauley brought the Blessing Baskets initiative to Westford and began reaching out to friends, colleagues, businesses and neighbors with a simple goal: help make Thanksgiving more meaningful for local Veterans and military-connected families.

Mary had no idea how fully the community would embrace the effort. Their generosity made it possible to provide 127 complete baskets in the very first year—along with thoughtful items that had never before been available, including toiletries, dog food and holiday decorations.

By 2025, the third annual drive delivered 247 complete baskets. Local businesses, Keller Williams colleagues, community groups and Westford's Troop 195 helped turn individual acts of generosity into one remarkable truckload of gratitude.

This initiative supports Veteran Pathways of New England, formerly Clear Path for Veterans New England.

Community recognition

Honored for service—and grateful for what it makes possible.

These honors recognize the collective generosity behind Blessing Baskets and help carry its impact back to the Veterans and families the initiative serves.

Mary McCauley's 2026 Good Neighbor Award from the Northeast Association of REALTORS — 2026 Good Neighbor AwardNortheast Association of REALTORS®
Presented to Mary for her Blessing Baskets service, together with a $500 contribution benefiting Veteran Pathways of New England.

Mary McCauley receiving the 2026 NEAR Good Neighbor Award and a donation for Veteran Pathways of New England — Recognition that gives backA $500 gift supporting local Veterans
The award included a charitable contribution that extends the initiative's impact beyond collection day.

Massachusetts Association of REALTORS Gratitude Project recognition — Gratitude Project recognitionMassachusetts Association of REALTORS®
Recognition through MAR's Gratitude Project, created to honor unsung heroes in the REALTOR® community.

Our beneficiary

Veteran Pathways of New England

Every Blessing Basket is donated through Veteran Pathways of New England, formerly Clear Path for Veterans New England. The nonprofit supports Veterans and military-connected families across the region through connection, wellness and practical assistance.

Learn about Veteran Pathways

Build one complete meal

What goes in a Blessing Basket?

Keep all items together in the laundry basket so the gift arrives as a complete Thanksgiving dinner.

✓One new laundry basket — no bags, please
✓$15+ grocery gift card for the turkey
✓Canned corn, green beans and cranberry sauce
✓Stuffing and mashed potatoes
✓Gravy and cream of mushroom soup
✓Muffin or biscuit mix
✓A non-perishable dessert

Thoughtful extras are welcome: additional food, pet food, socks, toiletries, games or laundry detergent.

Everyone has a place in this

Choose how you'll help.

Individual or family

Build one basket — or as many as you wish.

Team or office

Choose a goal, rally coworkers and give together.

Business or organization

Host a collection, contribute useful goods, gift cards or funds.

Volunteer

Help welcome donors, unload cars, sort or load the truck.

The 2026 community

Thank you to those already stepping forward.

As people, families, offices, businesses and community groups sign up, we'll recognize them here using the name they choose—or honor their wish to remain anonymous.

★Mary McCauley

With gratitude

A heartfelt thank-you from Mary.

Blessing Baskets began with one simple invitation, but it has grown because so many people continue to say yes.

To my colleagues at Keller Williams Realty Merrimack Valley, our professional partners, local businesses and organizations, volunteers, friends, family, and caring neighbors throughout the community: thank you. Your generosity, time, encouragement and willingness to rally others have made every year more meaningful than the last.

With appreciation,
Mary McCauley

Join the 2026 effort

Tell us how you'd like to participate.

Sign up to pledge baskets, donate funds or useful goods, volunteer, host a collection or receive event updates for the November 12 drive-up collection.

“The generosity is overwhelming — and every basket tells a Veteran that our community remembers.”

— Mary McCauley, initiative organizer

Mary McCauley holding a handmade American flag plaque

Mary McCauleyWestford initiative organizer

One basket.One family.One powerful thank-you.