"Silence is unbearable, especially on Thanksgiving."
November 22, 2018 6:13 AM Subscribe
Scott Macaulay, of Melrose, MA, is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner to anyone who RSVPs to his classified ad. It's his 33rd year. WaPo | alternate link
One year, he said, an elderly woman paid $200 for an ambulance to drive her to the church from her nursing home. She arrived decked out in fancy clothes and told Macaulay she hadn’t been out in seven years. She cried when dinner was over.
Last year, two people showed up with service dogs.
Another year, Macaulay took a plate out to a woman who was living in her car and was too ashamed of her plight to come inside until almost everyone had gone home.
“She came in to get some leftovers,” recalled Macaulay. “And she sang ‘Amazing Grace’ with this incredible voice. What a year that was.”
God damn, what a decent motherfucker.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:45 AM on November 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:45 AM on November 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
I just noticed something: his son is 22. From the young Macaulay's perspective, this has been happening all his life. Thanksgiving for him has always been about making a beautiful, giving, kind thing for a hundred strangers. And, apparently?, dude wasn't even married when he started, because he didn't want to eat alone. So all his wife ever knew was a guy who did this. It's just ... three decades plus is a long time. Dog gam.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:51 AM on November 22, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:51 AM on November 22, 2018 [25 favorites]
crying. What a nice person who had a good idea and implemented it, much harder than it sounds. If I needed a vacuum cleaner I would go buy one from him.
posted by theora55 at 7:35 AM on November 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 7:35 AM on November 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
If I lived there, I would go there today
posted by growabrain at 7:38 AM on November 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 7:38 AM on November 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
About a week before Thanksgiving, Macaulay, 57, who owns Macaulay’s House of Vacuum Cleaners and lives above the shop, goes grocery shopping and purchases everything himself, though he prefers not to say how much it all costs him because “that would take away the spirit of it.” When asked again, he said the total exceeds $1,000.
Jerk reporter.
posted by chavenet at 7:39 AM on November 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
Jerk reporter.
posted by chavenet at 7:39 AM on November 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
Oh wow.
Uh, so, I live near this guy, and would absolutely have gone to this if I had known about it before making plans with a friend.
Maybe next year. I hope so.
Also, you guys, I drive by his shop/house all the time, and he has all these fascinating little miniature houses in the backyard. He must be quite a character.
I hope to report back to you next year how the dinner is!
posted by Adridne at 8:14 AM on November 22, 2018 [28 favorites]
Uh, so, I live near this guy, and would absolutely have gone to this if I had known about it before making plans with a friend.
Maybe next year. I hope so.
Also, you guys, I drive by his shop/house all the time, and he has all these fascinating little miniature houses in the backyard. He must be quite a character.
I hope to report back to you next year how the dinner is!
posted by Adridne at 8:14 AM on November 22, 2018 [28 favorites]
What a wonderful man.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 8:26 AM on November 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 8:26 AM on November 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Something to be thankful for--that there are people like this.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:25 AM on November 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by BlueHorse at 9:25 AM on November 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
This is so sweet. More of this, please.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:51 AM on November 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:51 AM on November 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best of the week
posted by growabrain at 12:26 PM on November 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by growabrain at 12:26 PM on November 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I live in Melrose. Besides him, the folks at the diner down the street close down this week to prep a huge number of Thanksgiving meals for a bunch of the neighbors who are housebound, to bring them food and socialize. They have to turn away volunteers every year -- they can use people to deliver the food and socialize, but people want to help cook, and, well, Pam, Jarrett, and Paul know how to cook together, and more people just get in the way.
We're a pretty great city, honestly.
posted by Xiphias Gladius at 6:29 AM on November 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
We're a pretty great city, honestly.
posted by Xiphias Gladius at 6:29 AM on November 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
This totally made me tear up. I'm so happy to know that this guy is out there.
posted by TwoStride at 4:14 PM on November 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by TwoStride at 4:14 PM on November 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hey, my former hometown! (We moved from Melrose last year.)
posted by sarcasticah at 9:33 AM on November 24, 2018
posted by sarcasticah at 9:33 AM on November 24, 2018
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