Council Member Won distributing food at Jacob A. Riis Settlement. (Photo courtesy of Council Member
Won’s office)
Nov. 22, 2023 By Czarinna Andres
New York City Council Member Julie Won, in collaboration with Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement and numerous community partners, held a large-scale Thanksgiving event this past weekend.
Over 4,000 residents in the western Queens area received hot meals and turkeys over the course of Saturday and Sunday in a bid to ensure no family goes without a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
On Saturday, Nov. 18, Jacob A. Riis, with Won’s support, held its 16th Annual Fall Family Feast Thanksgiving dinner that saw the distribution of 2,000 hot, freshly prepared meals. These meals, provided by Rethink Foods, were funded through a joint effort of Won’s office and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, amounting to $25,000.
Christopher Hanway, executive director of Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement, spoke about the Fall Family Feast as not just a meal distribution event, but also a community-building exercise.
Over 2,000 hot Thanksgiving meals were distributed at Jacob A. Riis Settlement. (Photo courtesy of
Council Member Won’s office)
The generosity extended into Sunday, Nov. 19, when over 2,000 turkeys were given to residents at NYCHA Queensbridge Houses, Ravenswood Houses and Woodside Houses. Funding for this initiative came from Won’s office, with the turkeys donated by a host of community partners including Queens Together, Food Bazaar, Local 79/LIUNA and others.
Corrine Haynes, president of the NYCHA Queensbridge Houses Resident Association, highlighted the significance of the event for the residents of Queensbridge, the largest public housing development in the country.
“It warms my heart that so many of my neighbors will get to enjoy a turkey at their dinner table,” she said.
Similarly, Carol Wilkins, president of the NYCHA Ravenswood Houses Resident Association, emphasized the importance of such initiatives during the holiday season, especially given the rising cost of food.
Won thanked all the partners involved in making the event a success. She expressed her satisfaction that the residents will be able to enjoy a proper dinner.
“This Thanksgiving, no family in our district will be left hungry or nostalgic for a traditional Thanksgiving meal,” Won said.
Council Member Won distributes turkeys at Queensbridge Houses (Photo courtesy of Council Member
Won’s office)
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