Posted on 11/23/2005 8:44:18 AM PST by ncountylee
In what may be the oldest Thanksgiving Dinner for the homeless in New York City, if not the country, The Salvation Army will be providing a holiday feast for thousands of men, women and children in the Greater New York area at the McBurney YMCA on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24.
The centerpiece of the Thanksgiving Dinner program for the hungry and homeless will be held at the McBurney YMCA, located across the street from The Salvation Army's Greater New York Divisional Headquarters, 120 West 14th St., from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. "We are thrilled to be able to partner in this practical expression of good will," said Christian Miller, Executive Director for the McBurney YMCA.
This is the third year in a row that The Salvation Army and the McBurney YMCA have collaborated to provide Thanksgiving dinner for the hungry and homeless. The Salvation Army is prepared to feed as many as 1,000 people at the 14th Street location.
The traditional dinner will consist of turkey, dressing, yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, a variety of pies, coffee and juice.
Assisting Salvation Army staff will be about 150 volunteers, many of them second and third generation. Students from Long Island University in Brooklyn are expected to be among the volunteer groups helping with the event.
While the 14th Street location is the largest single Thanksgiving dinner provided by The Salvation Army, other Salvation Army locations throughout the Greater New York area will also serve meals or provide food baskets and vouchers to people at risk of hunger.
"The Salvation Army is committed to serving the hungry and homeless," said Lt. Colonel Nestor Nuesch, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army's 14-county Greater New York Division. "Especially at Thanksgiving, we don't want anyone to be left out."
(Excerpt) Read more at releases.usnewswire.com ...
God Bless the Salvation Army.
I have my first shift of the bell-ringing season this afternoon from 3-6. I'm looking forward to it. :-)
Amen. Every contribution we make to this worthy charity is used as it is intended...to help those in need. Overhead expenses are the lowest of any charity.
I applaud your efforts. Thank you.
Impossible. People don't do things out of the goodness of their hearts. Only the government can help people.
The title is bulls*** and implies that there are "thousands of homeless" in lower Manhattan. The SA (God bless them) will feed hundreds of hungry - not thousands of homeless but you have to read past the headline to see that.
It's a pleasure. To me it's not the Christmas season until I see that first red kettle. :-)
I find it so ironic that everyone goes gaga with Thanksgiving. The homeless have so much food to pig out on on Thanksgiving and get to go bags to last them two days. I help run a soup kitchen--and we get folks wanting to volunteer that day up the wazoo----HEY FOLKS WE COULD USE YOUR HELP THE REST OF THE YEAR. Actually in New York there a lot of places where the homeless can get a bite to eat. When someone is pandhandling on the subway or elsewhere, that money is going for something else (use your imagination children). Even shelter, which is more difficult to get sorted out--but can be done if you have the attention span to sit through the bureaucratic rigamarole. It won't be the Ritz Carlton but your backside won't be freezing in some doorway. Unfortunately there is too much sentimentalization of homelessness. Over 90% percent of homeless people in urban areas are homeless because of 2 things. SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR UNTREATED MENTAL ILLNESS. Detoxes are just waiting for alcoholics and addicts to come---then they can go for further treatment. There are so many places where the mentally ill can be treated, but the ACLU HAS TIED SOCIETY'S HANDS. One cannot force a mentally ill person into a psychiatric hospital----now you try convincing a homeless schizophrenic that they would be better off in the hospital than languishing on the street. I am done ranting.
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