LYNN — Local T-Mobile employees volunteered at My Brother’s Table on Monday following a recent $5,000 grant donation to aid in the organization’s operational costs. 

The donation is part of T-Mobile Foundation’s Hometown Grants program, which started in 2021 to allocate funds up to $50,000 to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, like My Brother’s Table in Lynn. 

My Brother’s Table was selected by Retail Development Manager Sean Noyes, who has volunteered with the organization since high school.

Noyes organized more than 12 T-Mobile employees from various local locations to get together to prepare food for the public, with hopes of extending it into a consistent volunteer event. 

“I’m hoping to get it to a regular thing,” Noyes said. “Not just once a year, but hopefully either once a month or once every few months to get some people over here and start to volunteer.” 

Noyes believes that volunteering opens doors for those in need, creating experiences that may help an individual through tough times, saying My Brother’s Table could be one person’s saving grace. 

“I think that’s kind of the biggest eye opener for me is just being able to spend some time and give someone a little bit more of that hope,” Noyes said. “I think that trying to get other people involved and trying to get other eyes and ears to see how much it can affect a human being is a huge passion of mine.” 

Anthony Lopez, the Store Manager of the North Shore Mall T-Mobile location, said he heard about the volunteering event from Noyes and wanted to support it on the back of Noyes’s continuous efforts and passion. 

“It’s good to feel like we’re able to give back and impact those lives and help people, just you know, in our local community,” Lopez said. 

Noyes noted that doing volunteer acts while food insecurity increases locally has created a path for success for a lot of individuals in need. 

“You can see even just walking in the door, like people that are leaving with food or drinks, it’s an instant impact,” Noyes said. 

Lewis Richards, the Head Chef of My Brother’s Table kitchen, shared that daily preparation for him is planning the day’s meals with the understanding that there may not be volunteers coming. 

With the T-Mobile employees coming in to do a majority of the food preparation, it allows Richards a chance to take a step back and loosen the reins. 

“It gives me an opportunity to back up a little bit and give a better quality of service to the guests because feeding six to 800 every day without volunteers is tough,” Richards said. “So when we get volunteers, we appreciate them, we embrace them with open arms.” 

Executive Director of My Brother’s Table, Dianne Kuzia Hills, shared that she has been with the organization for over 30 years, with varying titles, which led her to her current position in 2009. 

Kuzia Hills said that all the money donated by T-Mobile’s grant will be allocated to their overall operations, including food and compensating the employees. What lightens her heart is the fact that the donation and the volunteers are mostly from Lynn, strengthening the community from the inside out. 

“Even though they’re a big company, the local people are really invested in our work and make really nice partners in the community,” Kuzia Hills said. 

Everything that the organization does has been because the community needs them, but also because the community supports them, Kuzia Hills added. Without regular people and local corporations like T-Mobile providing funding to My Brother’s Table, their efforts would not be possible, she said. 

The organization does not receive government funding, and every dollar spent has been raised each year from organizational events and grants from locals, Kuzia Hills said.

“We really just feel like we are woven into this community, and this community, as long as they want us, we’ll be here,” Kuzia Hills said. “They support us, we support them… We’re really fortunate we get to do something we love doing.”