BY KIM GILL
Family, friends, and community organizers gathered at the Penn-Wortman Senior Center in East New York, Brooklyn, on Saturday, Nov 23rd to provide a free Thanksgiving dinner and food supplies to community residents. The charitable drive was hosted by the Life Equip Group and guest-hosted by Elisha Edouard in collaboration with The XperienceBK. This event is an annual tradition spanning 20 years and was sponsored by New York City Councilmember Chris Banks.
“It’s a homecoming to be back here at the Penn-Wortman Community Center, and we’re just happy to be here. Food insecurity is a major issue in this district, so any way we can lessen that burden for people who may need food is our aim,” said Councilmember Banks.
Chef Johan Compere of the XperienceBK, a small coffee shop in Canarsie, Brooklyn, provided community residents with a free holiday meal. Additionally, free food was provided along with winter clothing, courtesy of The Christian Cultural Center and local community-based organizations. The celebration was the first event of its kind for The Equip Life Group, an organization helping to provide information, education, and resources to youth ages 15-25. The group’s founder, Alyssa Abernathy, stated, “I’ve been wanting to give back during Thanksgiving in a major way for a very long time, and I just started to brainstorm and came up with the idea ‘Let’s give thanks,’” she said.
Over 100 people in attendance were fed. There were also 50 turkeys and 50 hams donated to families who needed food to prepare a holiday meal at home. This celebration is an annual event which traces back to Councilmember Banks’ days as a community organizer and activist. Before politics, He served as Executive Director for his non-profit, East New York United Concerned Citizens Inc., an anti-poverty organization to help youth and senior citizens, established circa 2017. This year’s event was the first for Banks as a City Council member.
“We’ve been doing this event for almost 20 years. To see the event come from what it used to be where it is now is amazing,” said Nathan Banks, Councilmember Banks’ brother . “More people are coming, we’re getting more sponsors, we’re getting more volunteers, and we’re getting more people from the community to come out; it’s great to give back on this level,” he said..
The event also brought in many community members to donate resources to survive the winter. East New York Reign, a local organization established in 2016 that empowers young men to be leaders, donated clothing and shoes to the event attendees, many of whom were from the migrant community looking for coats to survive the winter.
“We’re donating clothes to everybody who needs it. Males, females, kids, babies. Over the past week, we collected a lot of clothes from the community. I just appreciate the community for helping us,” said Kerron Porter, President of East New York Reign.
Armani Baker, a fifteen-year-old participant in the program, was happy to volunteer his time. He stated, “What brought me in today was to give back to my community, support the community, and just doing what the community needs to be better.” Shavon Robinson, another volunteer with the Life Equip Group, was happy to donate her time. She stated, “I love giving back and ensuring my hands are always on the plow.”
Residents seemed to enjoy their time listening to live performances by singer Taahira Lee as DJ Base Da Don played classics in the background. Long-time residents such as Shirley Bond, a senior in the community and also a devoted supporter of the Councilmember, was happy to be in attendance. “I’ve known Chris through high school, after school, and summer camp. His family is like my family, and I love Chris. Anywhere he goes, I will be there,” she said.
For Councilmember Banks, this event marks a full circle moment for his commitment to service. As a long-time advocate for East New York’s aging community, Banks was proud of the work that was achieved. He hopes that next year’s event will bring more people and resources and hopes to secure a bigger location.