Bronxites lined up Saturday in Soundview to fill their grocery carts with turkeys, Halal chickens, and canned and fresh produce at a holiday food distribution event hosted by the nonprofit Caribbean Equality Project and City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farias. Caribbean Equality Project, a community organization that supports and advocates for LGBTQ+ Caribbean immigrants in NYC, has hosted the event with Farias for four years.

Over 140 volunteers filled the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community Center, where they unpacked and distributed 600 turkeys and 200 Halal chickens. They also offered resources and information to Bronxites who waited in line for hours in the chilly weather.

Council Member Amanda Farias greeted and helped a Bronx resident collect a turkey. Credit: Sadie Brown

Council Member Farias greeted community members and handed out either a turkey or a halal chicken to each household. She said events like these are not just about providing a Thanksgiving meal, they’re about building community.

“People are working with neighbors every single day and showing up in this building to participate in this,” Farias said. “So, there’s familiarity, there’s friendliness, there’s neighborly relations – there’s comfort in this space.”

One way the food drive has been building community, Farias said, is by offering culturally diverse food. This year was the first time the food distribution offered halal chickens.

“We talk to these community members all year round to plan for this and to understand what they’re serving in the kitchen and what is reflective of what we should have on the table,” said Farias.

As the number of Muslim families in Soundview has grown, so has the number of families that can’t consume turkey if it is not killed and prepared according to Islamic law: halal.

Over 140 volunteers participated in the food distribution event. Bronxites were able to get turkeys as well as fresh and canned produce. Credit: Sadie Brown

The hours-long line stretched down the block and around the corner with Bronxites toting wheeled baskets and reusable bags to carry home the items they received.

Jacqueline Venus has lived in the Bronx for just over two years. She plans to travel to Brooklyn to eat dinner at her sister’s house on Thanksgiving. Her family shares a tradition at dinner.

“First my sister says a prayer over the food and then we go around the table and say what we are thankful for,” Venus said.

After surviving four strokes, Venus said she was thankful to have a daughter that loved and cared for her.

Once community members made their way through the line for food, they arrived at tables with healthcare and safety resources like masks, sanitizers and safe sex products on offer.

Mohamen Q. Amin, founder and executive director of Caribbean Equality Project, said they tried to take a wholistic approach to the distribution.

“We’re providing resources for LGBTQ folks and immigrant families,” Amin said. “We have resources around domestic violence and intimate partner violence. So, it’s more than just a turkey giveaway and a food distribution, it’s a community resource fair.”