The fourth-floor community room at 25 Ambrose St. filled with warmth on the afternoon of Nov. 14 as Orchard Gardens seniors took their seats at three tables, their plates filled with Thanksgiving favorites. Decorations lined the walls, music played softly in the background and longtime neighbors greeted each other with hugs and laughter as they settled in for a celebration they look forward to all year.
Two serving tables displayed the meal: trays of mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, roasted chicken, baked sweet potato, corn and cinnamon-flavored mava cupcakes. A second table held apple and pumpkin pies, frosted gingerbread cookies, bottled juice and water, along with the holiday mugs filled with candy that volunteers prepared as gifts. The room brightened as seniors began to eat, chatting comfortably as they enjoyed the food and the chance to sit together for an afternoon of fellowship.
For many residents, the annual celebration is one of the most meaningful gatherings of the year.
Orchard Gardens has 331 units, including 150 senior households, and many of the elders who filled the room Friday have lived in the neighborhood for decades. Some are part of families whose apartments have passed from grandparents to parents to children, creating a sense of continuity that is rare in most neighborhoods.
The building itself carries a deep sense of history. Now a senior housing residence, 25 Ambrose St. once housed the Dearborn School. Generations of Roxbury children studied in its classrooms, walked its hallways and graduated on the very stage where the community now gathers for holiday meals and meetings.
For resident Eugene Sanders, that history is personal. Sanders grew up across the street and attended school in the building where he now lives.
“It feels like I’ve come full circle,” he said. “Even when I’m in my apartment, I try to figure out what room this used to be — history, geography or math. It’s ironic to come back here and be a resident in the same place I went to school.”
He said the Thanksgiving celebration helps restore the spirit of the holiday.
“It puts you back in the structure of what holidays are all about because somehow we’ve lost sight of that,” Sanders said. “It keeps you in tune with enjoying family and friends.”
He also smiled as he talked about the food. “As long as you don’t tell her because she may stop making it, but I love it,” he said. “She makes great food and brings community members together. She goes the extra mile.”
Senior resident services coordinator Tania Rivera sees that excitement every year. She has worked at Orchard Gardens for three years, and although she wasn’t here when the Thanksgiving tradition began, she said the seniors’ connection to Melissa Maharaj, is evident.
Maharaj was introduced to Orchard Gardens as a Northeastern University undergraduate working with youth in the community. She quickly built rapport with seniors who often struggled with mobility or lacked nearby family, especially during the holidays.
In 2019, she decided to prepare a homemade Thanksgiving meal, cooking with her family and partnering with the housing development to reach senior residents.
The tradition continued even through the pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, when seniors could not gather safely, Maharaj packaged individual meals and delivered them to residents’ apartments. Seniors kept reaching out each year, asking whether the Thanksgiving meal would return, and even after she completed her work with Northeastern and moved into full-time employment elsewhere, she continued hosting the celebration.
“I think building the relationships with the seniors is what motivates me,” Maharaj said. “I see them all the time. They recognize me, and I think about them a lot, especially during the holiday times. The weather, the mobility issues, missing family — holidays can be a challenging time.”
As the tradition grew, she and Rivera developed a routine. Maharaj prepares and cooks the main meal, and Rivera decorates the room, provides drinks and desserts, and shares the event information with residents. The collaboration helps make the afternoon feel special without falling on one person.
Rivera said many seniors begin asking about the celebration as early as mid-October. “This is the Thanksgiving they look forward to every year,” she said. “And it means so much to them that Melissa cooks the meal herself. That love is what makes it so tasty and flavorful.”
Some residents were unable to attend Friday’s event because of medical concerns or mobility limitations. Rivera noted that there are seniors who rely on dialysis or experience severe knee pain, preventing them from leaving their apartments. As in previous years, meals were prepared and set aside for them, ready to be delivered after the gathering.
Even for those who can’t sit at the tables, the anticipation remains strong. Seniors often express gratitude for the meal each year and speak warmly about being included, Rivera said.
Inside the community room Friday, seniors lingered over dessert and refilled their drinks as conversations carried on. Some shared memories of their years in the neighborhood; others talked about family, friends or past holidays. For many, the celebration offered a rare moment of comfort — a reminder of community in a season that can be difficult.
Sanders looked around the room, watching neighbors laugh and enjoy their meals.
“It brings a lot of history to me personally,” he said. “And it feels good to still be here, with everyone, enjoying the holiday.”