Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams distributed more than 1,500 turkeys and 7,000 pounds of trimmings, including fresh apples, collard greens, potatoes and yams, to more than 100 churches and community-based organizations that are serving Brooklynites in need this Thanksgiving.
While helping to load vehicles with packages of food at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, he gave thanks for the sponsors and volunteers who made the large-scale donation, according to a Brooklyn Borough Hall statement.
Adams said it was in the spirit of “One Brooklyn” to give back during the holiday season.
“In this season where there is so much need, we should all get back to the ‘giving’ roots of Thanksgiving,” he said. “As thousands of Brooklyn’s families gather around the holiday table for a hearty feast, thousands more of our neighbors will face empty plates and empty hearts.”
“We cannot forget that so many of us are facing the physical and psychological pain of hunger,” Adams added. “I am thankful that, in partnership with great corporate sponsors and community volunteers, we can make a small difference with these meals for the underserved among us.”
Sponsors of Adams’s Thanksgiving turkey distribution included Affinity Health Plan, Amalgamated Bank, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Children’s Literacy Society, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Fairway Market, Hill Country, Investors Bank, Kings Plaza, National Grid, ShopRite, Target and Whole Foods.
“As champions of rich and rewarding lives, we are honored to be a sponsor of this event and thankful to be able to give back to the communities we serve,” said Denise J. Pesich, chief marketing officer of Affinity Health Plan. “We wish the residents of Brooklyn a happy, safe and healthy Thanksgiving.”
“Amalgamated Bank is honored to be participating in this year’s Brooklyn Thanksgiving Turkey Distribution,” said Bierkis De Leon, assistant manager for Amalgamated Bank. “As proud members of the Brooklyn community, we recognize that it is our responsibility to give back whenever we can, which is why we regularly host free banking seminars and sponsor local events.
“We want to thank Borough President Adams for both organizing this event and including us. We look forward to continuing our partnership with this great borough,” De Leon added.
Jack Murphy, chief executive officer of Fairway Market, said his company was “happy to help support organizations in the community that are supporting families and the hardworking people of NYC this holiday season.”
“Thank you for allowing us to serve the great people of Brooklyn,” said Andrew Kent, owner of Glass Gardens ShopRite. “Our family and employees proudly operate two locations in Brooklyn, the ShopRite of Avenue I and the ShopRite of Gateway Center Mall. Community outreach and supporting health and wellness are paramount concerns of ours.”
Other organizations which volunteered to assist with Adams’s Thanksgiving turkey distribution included: Bedford-Stuyvesant Lions Club; Crown Heights Lions Club; Dawson Promotions; Farragut Lions Club; Man Up! Inc.; Movers, Not Shakers!; Prospect Heights Lions Club; and Red Hook Lions Club.
In addition to the turkeys distributed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Adams gave out 200 turkeys last Friday at Kings Plaza Shopping Center in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn.
He was also expected to distribute 650 turkeys on Tuesday at Full Gospel Assembly in Crown Heights to more than 40 local houses of worship and non-profit organizations.
This giveaway was conducted in partnership with State Sen. Jesse Hamilton; Assembly Members Diana Richardson and Latrice Walker; Council Member Laurie Cumbo; and District Leaders Olanike Alabi, Geoffrey Davis, Anthony Jones and Shirley Patterson.
On Thanksgiving Day, Adams is expected to host a dinner for senior citizens at Boys and Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, sponsored by LCG Community Services, as well as attend a dinner feeding the hungry and homeless at Milk River in Crown Heights.
