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Brockton cancels holiday event for homeless students amid financial troubles
School Committee members said the city didn’t pay vendor invoices, which the mayor denies.
Brockton Public Schools’ annual holiday event for families experiencing homelessness will not take place this year amid the district’s recent financial turbulence, school leaders said.
Each year, hundreds of children are served dinner and gifted holiday presents at Brockton’s “Dinner for Champions,” which was hosted at Gillette Stadium last year, School Committee member Ana Oliver said at their meeting Tuesday night. In 2022, the party hosted nearly 300 children, according to the district.
Oliver said on Facebook that she “recently became aware” that some of the donors or vendors were not paid by the City of Brockton.
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“I know with the situation we are dealing with about payments, but I wish the vendors had reached out to us, that we could have worked with them,” said Oliver, who attended last year. “Now we have a hundred students that would have been the only Christmas gift they would have got, and it’s very sad to hear that.”
ComeBack Physical Therapy, Keches Law Group, and MCJ Transportation were recent sponsors for the event in 2022, BPS said at the time. In 2023, Keches and MCJ returned as sponsors, according to the law firm.
“Has this tarnish (sic) our relationship with them?” Oliver said on Facebook before the meeting. “I’m seeking clarification on this matter, as it would be shameful if true, highlighting Brockton’s lack of concern for the well-being of it’s students. Why didn’t it happen this year?”
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In a statement, a spokesperson Keches Law Group said they had no issues with the city when sponsoring the event, but the event “just didn’t get it off the ground this year.”
This week, Brockton officials have continued to point fingers following the news that the Dinner for Champions event wouldn’t be happening. Tony Rodrigues, School Committee co-chair, told Boston NBC Boston 10 that City Hall hasn’t stepped up to pay the vendors and sponsors.
“The money is there,” Rodrigues told NBC 10. “The school department is not the one who writes the checks, the (purchase orders) come into the school district and it’s forwarded to City Hall, specifically to the auditor department, so they are the ones that actually cut the check.”
Sullivan, who was stopped by NBC 10 while he was loading up dozens of toy donations for Brockton children, said “I don’t believe that’s accurate,” and that he isn’t involved in the planning of Dinner for Champions. He said he’s “signed what’s been given to me” and deferred more questions to the school district.
“My hope is that we can repivot and get it going again next year,” Sullivan said, according to NBC. “But there are going to be a lot of Brockton Public School kids — and I’m the mayor of everybody, not just BPS kids, although I’m a proud graduate — we’re going to have a lot of toys for people in need this year.”
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The law group reached out to the district on Monday and will coordinate the delivery of gift cards and winter hats to students, the spokesperson said.
BPS and Sullivan both did not return a request for comment Sunday evening.
This article was updated to include additional comment from Keches Law Group.
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