Thanksgiving Mitzvah! Free kosher turkeys in Flatbush

November 21, 2014 By Matthew Taub Special to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn Brief

Food Bank Of New York workers in Flatbush on Thursday morning, helping give kosher turkeys to those in need. Photo by Matthew Taub

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More than two years after Superstorm Sandy, Thanksgiving remains a difficult holiday for cash-strapped central Brooklyn residents still struggling to repair their homes. Hoping to change that experience, the Food Bank of New York City headed to Flatbush Thursday morning to distribute more than 300 kosher turkeys to local residents in need.

“It’s a great feeling to help people around the holidays,” said Rhiannon Nihill, a Food Bank of New York volunteer. “There’s no necessity more important than having food on the table.”

The giveaway was in partnership with local food pantry Bnai Raphael Chesed.

“We hand out food every day, but it’s especially heartwarming working with the food bank like this,” said Raphael Hazan, Ben Rafael Chesed’s president. “There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to give to the kosher community and help people in need.”

Food Bank of New York City’s efforts are part of its Thankful to Give campaign, celebrating all those who have given this holiday season. The event in Flatbush on Thursday was just one of several events planned by the Food Bank this week, and will ultimately result in their giving out some 1,350 turkeys to a diverse range of Sandy-affected communities, from Coney Island to Staten Island and the Rockaways.