The West Roxbury Business and Professional Association (WRBPA) met with about 60 residents last Tuesday, before Thanksgiving, to organize and distribute 150 turkey dinners from the Roche Bros. lot off of Centre Street.

The distribution, officially called the Mary Mulvey Jacobson Families in Need fundraiser, has been around for more than 30 years. Originally founded by Jacobson, the idea back then was to help out anyone facing tough times during the holidays and deliver a turkey dinner to residents in the Parkway for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Jacboson has since passed on, but WRBPA President Jim Hennigan has picked up the slack along with help from West Roxbury mainstays, Boston politicians, local residents and Jacobson’s family. Hennigan said it’s a lot of work, but many hands have lightened the load.

“This has been excellent,” Hennigan said. “Every year we reengage with our volunteers and the families we deliver to, and so there have been a lot of phone calls these past few weeks and it’s been going well.”

Hennigan said every year they distribute about 150 dinners – as that’s what they have agreed to in terms of storage with Roche Bros. – but he said this year the list filled up much quicker than usual, presumably because of the federal government shutdown.

“This is an event that people look forward to,” he said. “We’ll give (delivery) people their envelopes and they’ll go out to deliver. My job’s easy, I just give out envelopes and then everybody hops in their cars and go somewhere in the Parkway. We do have a few people in Jamaica Plain and a few in Dedham, but the vast majority is West Roxbury or Roslindale.”

Hennigan said he always watches the weather forecast intently for obvious reasons.

“I watch the weather forecast from a week out, that’s when I start,” he said. “We’re lucking out because I think we’re getting rain tomorrow.”

Jacobson’s sister, Maggie Mulvey Kelly, and her sons/Jacobson’s nephews, Quinn and Aiden, were some of the family to stop by to help.

“We were very close,” said Quinn. “We’ve been volunteering since I can remember, at least a decade now, whatever Mary would need. I took care of more the paperwork things when I was younger, and now that I’m older I help bring the groceries in and step in when needed.”

“We’ll make due with whatever,” said Aiden.

Resident and Kiwanis President Bob McNeil and Lord Mayor of West Roxbury Richie Gormley each stopped by to lend a hand.

“It’s a great event and Mary was just great,” said Gormley. “Unfortunately she’s not here anymore, but she was the president of the WRBPA for years. And I’m definitely happy to see if continuing.”

McNeil said he lost count of how long he’s been a part of the Families in Need delivery every year.

“We’re proud to be a part of this and we look forward to doing it every year,” he said.

Gormley is also running the Irish Social Club, which Jacobson used to manage. He said he was happy to keep it going.

“We’re surviving; we have a full calendar this year too,” he said.

Hennigan thanked all the sponsors for the event, which included Roche Bros., the Roslindale West Roxbury Kiwanis, The District E-5 of the Boston Police Department, the WRBPA, The Cooperative Bank, Waves Car Wash, Sharon and Barry Hinkman, Parkway Wealth Management, The Gardens of Gesethmane Cemetery, the Corrib Charitable Trust, the Herb Chambers Charitable Foundation, Josh Kraft, former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and the James W. Hennigan Insurance Agency.

Hennigan singled out Roche Bros. in particular, as the supermarket stores all the turkeys and other food items for the distribution.

“This is the greatest group of people to work with,” he said.