County, Town, and School Districts Help Bring Thanksgiving Dinner to the Table for Those in Need

Rising food prices, cuts to social services, and strained food pantry resources could have made Thanksgiving bleak for many families on Long Island. However, neighbors from all corners came forward to help. Some of them include:

Suffolk County Sheriff, Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr. distributed holiday meals to those in need at the 8th Annual Suffolk Sheriff’s Office Thanksgiving Food Distribution, including over 500 turkeys along with trimmings at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office START Resource Center, to pre-selected residents and nonprofit groups at a drive-thru event on Nov. 24. Turkeys were donated through a network that included grocery stores, churches, and the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association (PBA), among others.

The Town of Brookhaven Youth Bureau’s Thanksgiving Food Drive, in partnership with JVC Broadcasting, collected over 14,000 pounds of food, along with gift cards, cash donations, and certificates to buy turkeys on Nov. 8 and 9. “Because of caring, community-minded organizations like JVC—and the generosity of our residents—this program is able to provide traditional Thanksgiving meals for families throughout Brookhaven,” said Town Supervisor Dan Panico.

Fully-packed Thanksgiving “Boxes of Love” to local families in need made possible by the Town of Islip Food for Hope program. Photo courtesy of Town of Islip.

Town of Islip’s Food for Hope program set a new record this year on Nov. 25 by collecting enough donated supplies to deliver over 1,100 Thanksgiving “Boxes of Love” to local families in need. The event brought holiday cheer across the Town of Islip with its annual Thanksgiving distribution at Casamento Park in West Islip. Volunteers gathered to hand out turkeys and hundreds of “Boxes of Love” filled with all the essentials for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including stuffing, yams, green beans, and cranberry sauce.

The children of Connetquot Elementary School students showed off their Thanksgiving crafts while donating food items during the annual Turkey Trot. This year, Connetquot partnered with the Branches of Long Island nonprofit organization, which will distribute the donated food to area families in need. Photo courtesy of East Islip School District.

While local children from East Islip, Fire Island, and West Islip elementary schools went on hyperlocal, holding individual food-drive collection and turkey trot events throughout November to learn important lessons about sharing what we have with others who are less fortunate, youth from the West Babylon Jr. High School held a holiday greeting card drive, sending over 150 Thanksgiving greetings to the residents of East Neck Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.

Additionally, the Turkeys for Vets at the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy Seal Museum held on Nov. 22 in West Sayville was a great success.