In 2019, Dana and Brian Mayeu, working through The Mayeu Financial Group in Fairport, gave themselves a modest task: provide Thanksgiving meals for local families. The couple launched a food drive that exceeded its goal, providing holiday meals for 15 families at risk of food insecurity. The next year, it was 30. This Thanksgiving, The Bountiful Table, a nonprofit organization, will provide more than 50 Rochester-area families with meals.
“What started as a holiday food drive has evolved into something much bigger,” Dana Mayeu says. Along with the holiday meal drives, The Bountiful Table works year-round to connect food pantries with the resources they need to serve the community. The organization has no paid employees, and it does not run a pantry of its own. Instead, it supports the ones already serving their neighborhoods.
The Bountiful Table was “founded out of a simple belief: no one in our community should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” Mayeu says. She pointed to neighbors forced into hard choices among housing, utilities, health care, and groceries.
The need grew dramatically in 2020, when the economic fallout of the pandemic sent more people to local food shelves and community assistance programs. Seeing that demand rise, Mayeu explains, deepened the founders’ commitment to those who were struggling. The couple had long talked about starting a nonprofit, and the early Thanksgiving drives showed them how much more they could do than a single annual effort allowed.
Partnering with existing food distribution networks has been key from day one. “Rather than trying to find families [to feed] ourselves, we tapped into organizations that already had trusted relationships within the community,” Mayeu says. By using the existing infrastructure to distribute food to recipients, the Mayeus could focus their efforts on gathering donations.
They contacted pantry directors across their service area, explained the holiday meal program and how many meals they could supply, and asked how many families each pantry expected to serve. The pantries handled the last leg, giving out the meals during regular pickup hours or at special holiday events.
That approach continues. The organization has supported the Penfield Food Shelf, the Perinton Food Shelf, the Pittsford Food Cupboard, and the Irondequoit Community Cupboard, among others.
More Than a Holiday Drive
Once it was clear how much more was possible, the group began giving money to local food shelves as well, whether to restock bare shelves or to cover a bigger need. In one case, that meant helping a food pantry buy a new refrigeration system.
The gift mattered more than it might sound. Many food shelves run on limited budgets, Mayeu explains, and without cold storage they often cannot accept or distribute perishable nutritious items such as fresh produce, dairy, amd meat. “It wasn’t just a one-time contribution,” she says. “It was an investment that increased the food shelf’s capacity to serve the community for years to come.”
Another moment stands out for her. A local food shelf had been forced to turn away people who came looking for help with Thanksgiving meals. With support from donors, volunteers, and community partners, The Bountiful Table provided the resources to make sure those families had a meal to celebrate the holiday.
“No family should have to go without a holiday meal, especially during a time meant for gratitude and togetherness,” Mayeu says.
Funding for The Bountiful Table comes from a combination of individual donations, events, and corporate sponsorships. An annual charity golf tournament, now in its sixth year, is the largest fundraiser of the year and, in Mayeu’s words, the one that “generates the greatest level of support for our mission.” This year’s event took place Aug. 17 at The Links at Greystone in Walworth. There is a role for everyone, from avid golfers to businesses interested in sponsoring to people willing to lend a hand on event day.
People, not money, are the biggest challenge. With a small volunteer base, the group struggles to keep up with donor outreach and event logistics, as well as sustaining regular social media and donor communications. Its answer is to focus on a few high-impact activities, build repeatable templates and timelines, and lean on volunteers to keep things running reliably.
“There are many ways to get involved with The Bountiful Table throughout the year,” Mayeu says. Whether you write a check, lend an afternoon of help, or donate a bag of groceries, your efforts help vulnerable families and children enjoy nourishing, hearty, soul-warming meals this season.
How You Can Help
Donate funds: One-time or recurring donations let the group buy exactly what pantries request and respond quickly to changing needs. While pantries often receive high numbers of canned and dry goods, monetary donations help them stock shelves with the fresh, whole foods every individual needs in their diet. Donors can also sponsor a pantry’s holiday meal request or a set number of meals. Tax-deductible gifts can be made via the nonprofit’s website, thebountifultable.org.
Host a drive or meal-assembly event. Churches, schools, clubs, and workplaces can run their own drives or hold volunteer sessions to assemble meal kits for partner pantries.
Partner as a business. Options include financial sponsorships, in-kind services such as printing, storage, and transportation, matching-gift programs for employees, and workplace volunteer days.
Join the golf tournament. The group is always looking for golfers, sponsors, and volunteers to help with setup, registration, contests, raffles, and event operations. Next year’s date will be announced soon on The Bountiful Table’s website and social media pages.
Give to the holiday food drive: The eighth annual drive runs Oct. 15 through Nov. 20. The Mayeu Financial Group continues to back the Thanksgiving effort and is providing 50 turkeys this year. With the birds covered, The Bountiful Table is asking the community for the fixings. Items can be dropped off at 84 South Main St. in Fairport until the week of Thanksgiving. Volunteers also help collect donations, organize food contributions, spread awareness, and support distribution to local families and food shelves.
To learn more, visit: https://www.thebountifultable.org
"No family should have to go without a holiday meal, especially during a time meant for gratitude and togetherness."