Volunteers Feed Hundreds for Holidays

Volunteers from Resurrection Church hand out holiday meals to residents of the community who preferred to take the meal home rather than be one of the expected 1,200 residents who would dine in at Our Lady of Refuge on East 196 Street.--Photo by David Greene

By David Greene 

BRONX - Dozens of volunteers donated, cooked, and prepared hundreds of meals for residents in Fordham Manor, Bedford Park and across the borough as many Bronxites were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, either dining in or taking the free meal home on Thanksgiving.

Parishioners at Fordham United Methodist Church on Marion Avenue in Fordham Manor were still only providing meals "to go" as COVID-19 protocols would continue for a third year.

According to Edward Koku, the organizer of the Thanksgiving dinner for the last 15-years and member of the Fordham United Methodist Church's trustees said they were prepared to feed 500 people this year. Asked where the food comes from, Koku replied, "The food comes from the members, yes they contribute, and they cook it and bring it. A portion of what they are going to feed their families, everybody brings a portion here and we share it with the public.”

Exiting the church with his holiday meal, Fordham Manor resident Christopher Horton said this was the second year he stopped by for a holiday meal, he added, "I think it's great. I looked forward to it since last year, so I came back. I didn't know they were going to do it this year, but I saw the sign and wanted to come back, the food's really good. I think this is an African congregation, so there's some African food too, so I'll be looking forward to that as well. They bring their own twist, their own traditions.”

Borough President Vanessa Gibson (3rd left) hands out bags containing a Thanksgiving dinner at an undisclosed location in the Bronx.--Photo courtesy of the Bronx Borough President's office

Several blocks away in Bedford Park a small army of volunteers from Part Of The Solution (POTS) from nearby Webster Avenue, were joined by members of Resurrection Church from Rye, New York, who for the last four-decades have provided meals for residents of the nearby community with a traditional Thanksgiving meal served at Our Lady of Refuge Church on East 196 Street.

Fordham Manor resident Al Johnson was one of the many visitors to Our Lady of Refuge on Thanksgiving Day who decided to take his meal to go. Johnson, who has been visiting the church on the holiday for the last three-years, said of the volunteers, "If you go inside, you can sit down and eat and really enjoy the hospitality," but added, "It is beautiful to eat at home if you have someone to make the food.”

Asked what he thought about this tradition of feeding the community on the holiday, Johnson replied, "I think it's the best thing that ever happened to this community and I think people need to come here to give praise to this guy right here," as he pointed to a statue of Jesus Christ. He concluded, "I need to come here once in a while and give thanks for everything I ever achieved in life.”

Maureen Gomez of Resurrection Church told Bronx Voice that volunteers were expecting to serve 1,200 meals before the day was over. Gomez recalled, "During COVID we had a great deal of reticence about people coming in to sit down. So, we did a fairly brisk to-go, but this year we have people sitting down as well as immuno-compromised just grabbing and going." 

Gomez added, "POTS is the organization we support, and they are closed two days a year, which is Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, our church steps in to feed their guests the days that they have off." According to Gomez, Resurrection Church has been feeding visitors to Our Lady of Refuge for about the last 42-years.

Meanwhile, despite having the day off Christina Hansen, the executive director of POTS was on hand, she said of the special dinner, "This is our 40th Anniversary and we're really happy to serve lunch on this Thanksgiving Day in partnership with a group we have worked with since our beginning, Resurrection Church. So, we like to honor long term relationships, and this is just an example of that. We're happy to be here for the community, we have turkey and the whole meal, pie, fixings for everyone and we really want to be here for our community on this holiday.”

Earlier in the week Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson teamed up with other elected officials and staff of radio station Hot 97 FM, as they gave away 1,000 turkeys. In an email to constituents, Gibson said, "This is what it's all about- community. To all of our partners, thank you for your commitment to our Bronx residents and families. We could not have done this without your generosity, and we hope to see all of you again next year." 

Gibson also teamed up with Senator Luis Sepulveda, Assembly Member Chantel Jackson, Council Members Althea Stevens and HITN, Emblem Health who hosted another Thanksgiving dinner giveaway on Saturday, November 19, at the Caldwell Enrichment Program on Jennings Street.