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NYC Housing Authority


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 27, 2024
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov | (212) 306-3322

NYCHA, in Partnership with the Public Housing Community Fund, Distributes 1,500 Turkeys and 600 Gift Cards to Residents Ahead of the Thanksgiving Holiday

Efforts focus on facilitating meals for households in need, including those impacted by gas service disruptions

NEW YORK – The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), in partnership with the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), today announced a series of efforts to facilitate meals for residents in need ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, including the distribution of 1,500 turkeys and 600 gift cards. The turkeys, distributed in partnership with Gotham Gives, the Tech: NYC Foundation, and the Champlain-Hudson Power Express, and provided by London Meats, were given to residents in 17 communities: Astoria Houses, Castle Hill Houses, Claremont Rehab (Group 2), Jackson Houses, Kingsborough Houses, Manhattanville Rehab, Marlboro Houses, Morris Houses, Morrisania Air Rights, Nostrand Houses, Parkside Houses, Patterson Houses, Richmond Terrace Houses, Roosevelt Houses, Seth Low Houses, South Jamaica Houses, and Stapleton Houses.

NYCHA and the Fund also partnered with Perfect Gift to provide 600 gift cards to residents at 31 developments experiencing gas service disruptions. The gift cards had a value of $15 per each authorized household member and could be used to purchase a holiday meal. NYCHA also provided residents of the impacted developments with slow cookers and hot plates to assist with gas-free cooking throughout each outage.

“The holidays present an opportunity to express our gratitude for the many families and individuals who make our NYCHA community so special,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We thank the Public Housing Community Fund, resident leadership, and all of our partners in these distribution efforts, which will help ensure that NYCHA residents can enjoy holiday meals with their loved ones this Thanksgiving.”

“This holiday season, the Public Housing Community Fund is honored to partner with NYCHA, resident leaders, and our generous supporters to bring joy and nourishment to over 10,000 New Yorkers across all five boroughs. By distributing 1,500 turkeys and trimmings, along with gift cards for hot meals, we’re supporting public housing families to come together and celebrate a season of gratitude," said Public Housing Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki. "These efforts embody the power of community, partnership, and care for our neighbors, reminding us that when we unite, we can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. We are deeply grateful to our staff and partners, including Gotham Gives, the Tech: NYC Foundation, the Champlain-Hudson Power Express, and our food distributors, for their generosity and commitment to this vital initiative.”

“We are thrilled to partner with NYCHA to help bring warmth and joy to Bronx families this holiday season,” said NYC Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Equity & Racial Justice Sideya Sherman. “Through supporting NYCHA’s Food Business Pathways program, we’re helping to provide holiday meals to families while empowering resident entrepreneurs to realize their culinary dreams. Seeing these talented individuals grow their businesses while giving back exemplifies the power of community that makes our city great.”

In another effort to provide support to residents impacted by gas service disruptions, NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability (REES) supplied prepared Thanksgiving meals to public housing residents at developments across the Bronx using funding provided by the Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice (MOERJ). REES hired two NYCHA resident-owned-and-operated food business vendors — NYCHA Food Business Pathways (FBP) graduates — to prepare the meals: Cornel’s Catering and Sabor Restaurant & Bakery. FBP is a business accelerator program operated by REES that provides free food business training to NYCHA residents and Section 8 voucher holders to help them start and grow their own businesses. Ahead of the holiday, the FBP-graduate vendors prepared 335 meals for residents at 10 Bronx developments: Bronx River Houses, Forest Houses, Marble Hill Houses, Melrose Houses, Mitchel Houses, Mott Haven Houses, Pelham Parkway Houses, Sotomayor Houses, Throggs Neck Houses, and Twin Parks. Residents were given the choice of a turkey, chicken, or vegetarian meal, with each authorized household member receiving a meal.

NYCHA was also proud to partner with resident leadership in hosting tenant association food distribution events at a number of developments across the five boroughs, including Astoria Houses, Beach 41st Street-Beach Channel Drive, Castle Hill Houses, Claremont Rehab (Group 2), Howard Houses, Jackson Houses, Kingsborough Houses, Manhattanville Rehab, Marlboro Houses, Melrose Houses, Morris Houses, Nostrand Houses, Parkside Houses, Patterson Houses, Pomonok Houses, Roosevelt Houses, South Jamaica 1, Stapleton Houses, Tilden Houses, and Woodside Houses.

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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to 1 in 17 New Yorkers, providing affordable housing to 528,105 authorized residents through public housing and Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) programs as well as Section 8 housing. NYCHA has 177,569 apartments in 2,411 buildings across 335 conventional public housing and PACT developments. In addition, NYCHA connects residents to critical programs and services from external and internal partners, with a focus on economic opportunity, youth, seniors, and social services. With a housing stock that spans all five boroughs, NYCHA is a city within a city.

About the Public Housing Community Fund

The Public Housing Community Fund is an independent not-for-profit organization that creates and leverages resources and relationships to enhance the opportunities and quality of life for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents and their communities while uplifting the importance of public housing in New York City. www.communityfund.nyc