Frozen turkeys parade in and out of the soup kitchen between Thanksgiving and Christmas. "My boss gave everybody one as a holiday bonus," says the burley fellow at the door balancing a twenty pounder on his shoulder. "But we're going to the inlaws for dinner this year and I thought you folks could use this." The man's smile reveals his pleasure in presenting the gift.

"Sure! Thankyou so much." I say. He laughs at me when I offer to accept the bird, instead he makes his way through to the kitchen and plunks the frosty bird on the counter with a weighty thud. Thevolunteers, with towels slung over their shoulders and aprons around their waists, praise him: that was so good of you!

"Is there any room left in the freezer?" Ken asks as soon as he leaves, though he already knowing there isn't. Our freezer space is limited; long term turkey storage is out of the question. We havethought of getting a walk in but they're too expensive. One year Benson's Ice Cream let us store some birds at their place; now we just give them away as soon as we can.

In most families the excess turkey dilemma is a post holiday tradition. You know: turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey spread. But not at 58 Newbury street in Lawrence.

Most nights, the evening meal at Bread and Roses is prepared in advance by a church or civic group, like the Knights of Columbus or Saint John's Parish. Inevitably, for about two weeks before theholiday, each group sponsoring the meal for that night decides to prepare a traditional turkey dinner, with stuffing and cranberry sause and apple pie. It's really quite lovely. But the question is: how many consecutive nights can a person get excited about turkey?  In mid March or late September a turkey dinner is a welcome treat to our dinner guests, but by the third week in November we long for the familiar beans and hot dogs and crave the mundane spaghetti and meatballs.

"Carmen, do you and the kids have an oven at home?" We have learned to ask that question, tactfully, before sending someone off with a turkey of their own. They take a long time to cook on a hot plate. The needier families with lots of kids usually get asked first, but in1987 we had so many even the single men and women were offered a roaster. Now, we keep a list of who got turkeys. This was after we learned Norman Berube got three in one week; and he lives at the "Y"!Norman sold the birds. I can still imagine the man peddling his poultry on Park Street.