Woodside on the Move is hosting two Thanksgiving turkey giveaways this week, providing 600 local families with whole turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.
Woodside on the Move has partnered with Council Member Shekar Krishnan and food insecurity nonprofit Connected Chef to provide 300 whole turkeys and 300 boxes of fresh produce to local residents at an event on 34th Avenue Open Street Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit has partnered with Council Member Julie Won and Connected Chef to provide a further 300 turkeys and 300 boxes of produce at an event at PS 361Q at 39-07 57th St. on Saturday afternoon. The PS 361 event will also provide lunch for 500 people who have signed up for the event.
Both food drives are by RSVP only, with Wednesday’s Annual Day of Thanks Turkey Drive already at capacity.
Wednesday’s event, which took place outside the Hector Figueroa School at 69-01 34th Ave., aimed to ensure that hundreds of families across the district will not have to forego their Thanksgiving meal, Woodside on the Move officials said.
Miladis Martir, the organization’s chief of staff, said Woodside on the Move has been holding its annual turkey drive for several years but said Wednesday’s event marked the first time the organization has teamed up with Krishnan for the event, making it by far the biggest turkey drive it has ever hosted.
She said both drives are a result of growing food insecurity in the district, stating that many local residents were impacted by the temporary loss of SNAP benefits during the recent government shutdown.
Will Jourdain, executive director of Woodside on the Move, said the two events are “acts of solidarity” during a time when local residents are struggling with food insecurity and federal immigration raids.
“This turkey distribution is more than an event, it is an act of solidarity,” Jourdain said of Wednesday’s event. “It is our commitment to ensuring that our most vulnerable neighbors have access to dignity, nourishment, and support.”
Krishnan, meanwhile, said he was proud to collaborate with Woodside on the Move and Connected Chef to provide food for local residents.
“In the middle of an affordability crisis worsened by Washington’s attacks on SNAP and other essential programs, supporting Queens families is more important than ever,” Krishnan said in a statement.
Liz Alvarez, director of programs and special events at Connected Chef, said a number of people in the community were facing food insecurity after being “failed by the system” and said the two turkey and fresh produce drives address an urgent need in the local community.
“We’re taking immediate action alongside mission-aligned organizations to make sure our neighbors have access to fresh, nourishing food as we continue our mission to build equitable & long-term food access,” Alvarez said.
Saturday’s drive, held in collaboration with Won and Connected Chef, will run from noon until 3 p.m. at PS 361 Q, with around 500 Thanksgiving meals available for local residents.
The lunch event is already at capacity, Martir said, but there are at least 50 turkeys and fresh produce boxes left for people who have not yet RSVP’d.
Martir said she has noticed a marked increase in food insecurity in the local community over the past year, stating that Woodside on the Move staff have heard an increased call for food assistance at the organization’s weekend programming, which includes after-school activities among other programs.
The organization also saw an increase in calls for assistance amid the government shutdown, which temporarily cut off SNAP benefits for New Yorkers.
Woodside on the Move will also be holding a food drive in December with its annual Holiday Tree Lighting event on Dec. 6, Martir said.
