Queens church holds annual turkey giveaway ahead of Thanksgiving
JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- With Thanksgiving just days away, neighborhood organizations are stepping up to make sure New Yorkers in need have meals for the holidays.
Allen Pastures has already done quite a bit of cooking.
"Last night I threw a couple of turkeys in the oven and broke my meat down and I made me a nice fresh gravy," Pastures said.
Every year he makes an abundance of food and passes out places to community members in the Bronx for Thanksgiving. He was one of hundreds who showed up to Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Queens early Saturday morning for the annual turkey giveaway. He will be using it to make even more food.
"Christmas, New Year's, I'm going to be out there doing the same thing. So every little thing helps, you know because I go to all the pantries, they give me extra meats and stuff like that and I make plates and stuff and everything," Pastures says.
This is the 40th year of the turkey giveaway, but Reverend Stephen Green's first holiday season with the church.
They handed out more than a thousand turkeys and bags of sides - all gone within an hour.
'Here we are just trying to address food insecurity, trying to address the issues facing our community in this moment of crisis and conflict. We're just trying to share joy and share love and ignite the power of community to address whatever we're facing as a community," said Reverend Green.
With costs rising, the need for help this holiday season is as prevalent as ever. According to a new study, the number of people who use food pantries in New York is now double what it was before the pandemic. The study also found that one in three New Yorkers used a food pantry in the last three years.
"Food is very expensive now, so it's a blessing to be able to get this," said Vanessa Vines.
"Wonderful. It's a blessing. For the community that people don't have, you know and address things and everything that comes with it," added Gwendolyn Mitchell.
ALSO READ | Everything you need to know about the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
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