More than 200 members of the community on Thanksgiving Day received free meals, courtesy the 88th Police Precinct Community Council in the Ft. Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn.
“We do something for the community every Thanksgiving,” New York Police Department (NYPD) Officer, Christopher Kinney, community affairs officer at the 88th Precinct since 2016, told Caribbean Life after handing out meals to residents on Thanksgiving Day.
“Before COVID, we had a luncheon for seniors (senior citizens) in the community and, when COVID came, we started last year serving the community with cooked food,” he added. “It was easy to do a ‘grab and go’ because of COVID.
“Those in need benefit from the dinners,” Officer Kinney continued. “That’s our goal: To provide for the less fortunate during these challenging times.
“We provide dinners to our community, because people may not have food to eat during these times, and we try our best to provide some food for our community,” he said. “We love what we do, and helping out in any way we can is our mission.”
Kinney said members in the community, as well as business establishments, assist in making the distribution possible at the intersection of Myrtle and North Portland avenues in Brooklyn.
“We get help from all over in making this event a success,” he said. “It’s a team effort.”
Kinney said the menu comprised, among others, baked chicken, ham, meat loaf, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, mash potatoes, rice, vegetables and dessert.
“We feel great providing dinners; it’s God work,” he said. “If we could, we would do more. But we take pride in serving our community.
“The people are happy and thankful,” the officer continued. “I can tell by the smiles we receive from them when they receive the dinners.
“We are glad everything went well,” Officer Kinney said. “We will never stop serving our community, and I’m looking forward to the next event.”
Delia Hunley-Adossa, the 88th Precinct Community Council president and youth executive director, felt the same way.
“We all need to do our fair share of being neighborly,” she told Caribbean Life. “It takes a village, and we do our best of being a small fraction of the village.”
Hunley-Adossa said, over the years, the Council has received support in providing the Thanksgiving Dinners from, among others, Post 2188 Explorers; family members of police officers; Brooklyn Hospital; merchants in the Fort Greene/Clinton Hills area; churches; residents; Brooklyn Endeavor Experience, Inc.; and First Atlantic Terminal Housing Corporation.
“Doing good for others makes my heart smile,” she said. “Being in a position to help others is a blessing. I pray that we will continue to be able to help others.
“Being a good citizen is amazing!” Hunley-Adossa exclaimed.
