By Sherica Daley | New York Amsterdam News
Harlemites received something extra to be thankful for this holiday season. Dream Center NYC and Apostles Church Uptown teamed up in West Harlem at the King Towers housing complex for their annual turkey giveaway.
Now entering its 15th year, volunteers came out in frigid temperatures to deliver free turkeys, canned goods, and sides in “Boxes of Love” to the tenants throughout the housing complex. This year’s giveaway provided 87 turkeys and Boxes of Love. This giveaway theme was 15 for Fifteen, celebrating raising over $15,000 through non-profit funds and donations to purchase the turkeys and the other food that made the giveaway possible.
All the volunteers met in the basketball court for their closing group huddle. The group huddle is where the volunteers form a circle and come together to celebrate the wins in this year’s giveaway. Credit: Sherica Daley photo.
“We started with the same initiative of curing food insecurity, and having the heart to serve our neighbors,” said Izaiha Rosado, program director of Dream Center NYC. “This organization was planted here to be an organization about the people and to serve them,” he said. This yearly turkey giveaway is an outreach effort in all five boroughs assisting low-income families, the homebound, and elderly members in each community.
Members of Apostles Church Uptown didn’t just deliver food, they also went inside each home and said a prayer, blessing tenants and their homes for the holiday season. “This is an opportunity to serve people’s practical needs and open up to their spiritual needs,” said Sharie Bryant, a volunteer and worship leader at the Apostles Church Uptown.
“I love the fact we can build a relationship with people in the community,” said Bryant. “In today’s world, some people don’t expect people to be kind for kind’s sake,” she said.
Stopping on the fifth floor, the tenants greeted the volunteers with open arms, cheerfully saying “Thank You!” and “Happy Thanksgiving!” The church members entered each home and assisted in bringing in the food. Next, the members briefly recited a prayer for the tenant, chanting, “Please bless this home for this person, and their family, throughout the holiday season.”
On the third floor, the volunteers delivered to a homebound elderly woman. She opened the door with joy greeting the volunteers. The woman joined in with the volunteers in a prayer for better health and her home in the New Year. One of the volunteers who joined in prayer is Cheyenne Williams, social media and creatives coordinator for the Dream Center NYC. “It’s not just about dropping off food like a delivery service, being present with people,” said Williams.
“Moments like these remind me why I’m here. Getting to step into someone’s home, share a conversation, and pray together is such a powerful reminder of the purpose behind what we do in this yearly giveaway,” she said.
Lastly, reaching the first floor at 6:30 PM, all the volunteers met back up in front of the housing complex for the closing part of the event. The group of 20 volunteers met on the basketball court for the group huddle. The volunteers took a moment to speak and share the satisfaction of reaching their goal. They ended in a closing prayer ending the last day of another successful and peaceful giveaway.
Stacy M. Brown is an NNPA Newswire Correspondent