The family of late Boston Mayor Tom Menino continues to carry out his legacy through his annual Christmas Eve tradition.For the 29th year, Menino’s family teamed up with Catholic Charities Boston to donate toys, food and clothing to more than 300 families in the Bowdoin-Geneva community. Saturday’s event marked the 29th annual toy delivery since Menino established the tradition in 1994.”Our Dad loved this city and all its neighborhoods and people. He especially loved Christmas Eve and wanted to make it special for families in this neighborhood,” the late mayor’s son, Thomas M. Menino Jr., said in a statement. “Seeing kids’ faces light up when they’re handed a new toy brings us warm memories of our Dad and his enormous spirit. We’re proud to carry on this tradition and honor him this holiday season.”Menino was a lifelong Hyde Park resident and became Boston’s first Italian-American mayor when he became acting mayor in July 1993 when then-Mayor Raymond Flynn was appointed ambassador to the Vatican.The nine-year city councilor handily won the 1993 election and never faced a truly strong challenger afterward. He decided not to run for reelection in 2013, saying he no longer had the stamina to be mayor “the Menino way.” When he left office in January 2014, he was the city’s longest-serving mayor.Menino was diagnosed with advanced cancer that had spread to his liver just months after leaving office. He died at the age of 71 on Oct. 30, 2014.
The family of late Boston Mayor Tom Menino continues to carry out his legacy through his annual Christmas Eve tradition.
For the 29th year, Menino’s family teamed up with Catholic Charities Boston to donate toys, food and clothing to more than 300 families in the Bowdoin-Geneva community. Saturday’s event marked the 29th annual toy delivery since Menino established the tradition in 1994.
“Our Dad loved this city and all its neighborhoods and people. He especially loved Christmas Eve and wanted to make it special for families in this neighborhood,” the late mayor’s son, Thomas M. Menino Jr., said in a statement. “Seeing kids’ faces light up when they’re handed a new toy brings us warm memories of our Dad and his enormous spirit. We’re proud to carry on this tradition and honor him this holiday season.”
Menino was a lifelong Hyde Park resident and became Boston’s first Italian-American mayor when he became acting mayor in July 1993 when then-Mayor Raymond Flynn was appointed ambassador to the Vatican.
The nine-year city councilor handily won the 1993 election and never faced a truly strong challenger afterward. He decided not to run for reelection in 2013, saying he no longer had the stamina to be mayor “the Menino way.” When he left office in January 2014, he was the city’s longest-serving mayor.
Menino was diagnosed with advanced cancer that had spread to his liver just months after leaving office. He died at the age of 71 on Oct. 30, 2014.
