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Neighbors help neighbors for North Brooklyn Angels ‘Giving Thanks 2024’

NORTH BROOKLYN — Throughout the year, hundreds of Brooklynites find food security through the North Brooklyn Angels daily meal service that aims to mitigate the rising costs of necessities associated with gentrification. During the holidays, the nonprofit amps up its food distribution by offering a restaurant-style service, including a traditional Thanksgiving meal. 

“When you’re providing a dignified meal you’re not just providing food, you’re providing a healthy experience,” said Kendra Chiu, executive director of the Angels. 

This holiday season marked the fifth annual “Neighbors Giving Thanks” campaign, which lasted throughout the month of November. During this time, the Angels donated more than 1,000 turkeys and involved more than 100 volunteers across four North Brooklyn Neighborhoods: Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, the Angels hosted two simultaneous meals at the Church of the Ascension in Greenpoint and at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Williamsburg, where those in need ate turkey, vegetables and pies. 

When 14-year-old Angelina Aviles, founder of nonprofit Care2Create, contacted the Angels about volunteering over a year ago, Chiu said they wanted to find a safety-conscious way to include younger volunteers. 

Aviles first heard about the North Brooklyn Angels by seeing her grandmother receive their meals throughout the years. She said that she wanted to give something back to the Angels and the community while developing her social skills. For Thanksgiving, she asked her mom if she could bring her friend Giuliana Astore and Astore’s dad along to volunteer at the Aviles’ former parish, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

“I think that the holidays are the most important time to be able to give back because some people don’t have a lot. They really need something especially during the holiday season,” said Aviles.

Aviles’s mother also said that providing food and company to members of their community is important during the holidays. The network that the Angels have fostered is reciprocal amongst volunteers and meal recipients. For the Christmas season, the North Brooklyn Angels will host an appreciation event for their 2024 volunteers. 

The holiday programs used to be centered on Angels volunteer appreciation, but after the pandemic, the Angels recentered community members’ needs during the holidays by offering a to-go meal. As the years went on, Chiu said that the organization wanted to have a larger reach during the holiday, so they started to offer sit-down meals across North Brooklyn on Thanksgiving. 

When the Angels’s Thanksgiving tradition first began, board member Jonathan McKenna said that they were giving out 150 hot meals during the holidays. Now, the Angels are providing more than 600 hot meals at the sit-down events.The organization partnered with community members to publicize meal opportunities. 

“Thanksgiving week is like the Super Bowl of philanthropy,” said McKenna. “We’re seeing a lot of people that have jobs that don’t get this kind of free time. But on a week like this, they get to tap into that and see their community people and feel that connection.”

Of the more than 800 annual volunteers, Chiu said that the North Brooklyn Angels would love to involve everyone in community building. Younger community members like Aviles and the Angels’ long-time volunteers exhibit the range of services and community engagement that the Angels facilitate, and more opportunities will be available throughout the holiday to residents seeking an opportunity to get involved.