This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated November 25, 2022
Thanksgiving is right upon us and although it is a time to gather with loved ones and reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives, it should also be an opportunity to think of those who are in need of help and how we can lend a hand, in ways big or small. Fortunately, there are many community-based organizations across Southern Brooklyn that help those in need during the holiday months, as well as throughout the entire year.
The Arab American Association of New York, base out of Bay Ridge, will once again hold a free turkey giveaway on the Friday before Thanksgiving. The distribution will take place at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge on November 18 at 2:00 PM.
Two nights before the holiday on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:00 PM, The Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC is hosting a Culture Night and Community Potluck at the Muslim Community center located at 5320 3rd Avenue that is open to the community, where participants will wear traditional clothes and bring traditional food form their respective cultures to share with all in attendance. Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus, Councilmembers Justin Brannan and Alexa Aviles are among the sponsors of the event, along with local community organizations Mixteca, Muslim Women’s Leadership Council, and Muslims Giving Back.
On Saturday, November 12 at the Coney Island Gospel Assembly on Neptune Avenue, Operation Drumstick served 800 free, hot Thanksgiving meals to the community, and on Thanksgiving Eve at noon, they will host their annual Thanksgiving Community Feast with food from Gargiulo’s.
Through Thursday, November 17, all Island Federal branches, including the location at 1750 86th Street, were accepting non-perishable food items and monetary donations at teller windows, a portion of which will benefit Reaching Out Community Services in Bensonhurst. Reaching out provides feeds thousands through its food pantry and annual events. Currently, donations through a fundraiser posted on their website rcsprograms.org will be matched 100 percent by the SSASSY Foundation and are needed so they can once again hold their annual Operation Gobbler Giving Thanksgiving Event, which last year gave out over 600 turkeys and food to families dealing with food insecurity.
On Saturday, September 19 at 9818 Fort Hamilton Parkway, the Bay Ridge Community Development Center will present its third annual Turkey Giveaway and Food Distribution event beginning at 11:00 AM, which will also include a pet food drive. Brough President Antonio Reynoso, Islamic Relief USA, and the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge are among the supporters who making the event possible.
A decade after they began, Bay Ridge Cares will again hold their annual Thanksgiving Dinner Delivery. Last year’s operation delivered over 550 complete Thanksgiving meals to homebound seniors and families facing food security in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, and Bensonhurst. With the help of an army of volunteers to help package the meals and deliver them, as well as to provide handwritten cards from children and to make wellness calls to isolated seniors on Thanksgiving Day, Bay Ridge Cares expects to assist the same number of neighbors in need this year. Those in need who requested a Thanksgiving meal will have it delivered to their home on the evening before the holiday, November 23.
Based out of Good Shepherd Church on 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, the Bay Ridge Sanctuary Project has been assisting asylum seekers with basic needs and shelter, and will work to ensure that these families and individuals that our new to our country and neighborhood have a pleasant first American Thanksgiving. Through their website bayridgesanctuaryproject.squarespace.com, the Bay Ridge Sanctuary Project is accepting both monetary donations and drop-offs of particular items they are in need of, and they have a process to screen and train volunteers who wish to give their time to help refugees new to the community.
There are always things to gripe about and often times our debates amongst each other seem to become more intense and personal than they used to, but we truly have much to be thankful for in our Southern Brooklyn Communities. Those ensuring that neighbors in need receiving a helping hand are certainly something we should all be thankful for.
