Lowe's is Giving Away Free, Family-Style Boston Market Thanksgiving Dinners

Do you like Lowe's? You're going to like them even more come this Wednesday.

That's when 35 Lowe's home improvement stores in New Jersey and New York is spending $1 million fully cooked Thanksgiving dinners they'll be handing to the first 500 customers at each store, starting at 11 am on November 21.

The dinners, prepared by Boston Market, are free. There is no income qualification, no strings. And each dinner feeds up to six people.

It's an amazing thing, but it's an effort by the company to help customers in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, said Lowe's spokeswoman Jaclyn Pardini.

"Food is a critical need. We wanted people who have suffered through the hurricane to have a good holiday dinner," Pardini said.

The Lowe's giveaway translates into 22,000 meals - which will feed up to 136,000 people - they'll be handing out, free of charge. Each meal includes a fresh roasted turkey or ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet corn and rolls. Dessert is also included: Table Talk Pies of Worcester, Mass., donated more than 43,000 pies to be included in meals.

It's first-come, first-serve, Pardini said.

But if it's anything like the behavior of customers in the Woodbridge store, pre- and post-Sandy, customers will line up, be polite, and even crack a few jokes. 

Lowe's employees at the affected store will also be getting a Thanskgiving meal as a thank you for the work they did. Every Lowe's store save one in New York stayed open for the hurricane, Pardini said. 

"That store, Rosedale, was only closed because of the flooding," she said. "It's open now."

The Lowe's stores having the free Thanksgiving dinner giveaway in New Jersey include: Woodbridge, Piscataway, Howell, East Brunswick, Union, Egg Harbor Township, West Windsor, Marlboro, Paterson, Millville, Jersey City, Manchester Township, Holmdel, Brick Township, East Rutherford, Toms River, Cape May, Manahawkin, Bayonne, Hamilton, Eatontown, and Paramus.

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