WNBC 4: Delivering Gratitude on Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without the gravy, as dozens of volunteers put the finishing touches on a very large but special Thanksgiving meal. Executive chef Dion Kukuta and his volunteers from Disabled Combat Veterans Youth Program have cooked this Thanksgiving feast for years, usually served to hundreds in the dining hall at St. Paul’s Church in Englewood.

But after COVID, their operation was forced to go mobile. We’re just waiting on two more bags. Volunteer Kyleen Austin making sure these now-packed meals get delivered to those in need, like the dozens of local senior citizens who lost their homes in August. This year. COVID was compounded with IDA. And we have the senior citizen building down the street where the residents have been displaced in another housing development next to it. So they’re in hotels. We’ve got four different turkeys. We have fried turkey, rotisserie turkey, maple brine turkey, and your regular roast turkey.

The more than 50 turkeys provided by Table to Table, the state’s first nonprofit organization that rescues and delivers perishable food from grocery stores and restaurants that would normally be thrown out. Vice President Julie Kinner says after the pandemic and rising grocery prices, the need is even greater. And they might be able to afford the basics or they might be getting the basics from other places. But it’s the things like the turkey or like these bigger meals for families that they’re not able to afford. A cherished tradition wrapped and delivered to those who need it most. A gift these volunteers say they look forward to giving every year. We just want people to know that no matter what has happened, that they are loved. In Englewood.

Credit: Angela Metville, news for New York.