Community Thanks at Breukelen Houses
On November 20, Breukelen Houses residents and community partners came together to ensure that residents of the development would have an abundance of food for their Thanksgiving celebrations.
The pre-Thanksgiving food and turkey distribution event at the development was co-hosted by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and the Breukelen Resident Community Council (BRCC), in partnership with the Campaign Against Hunger, the Met Council, and Wegmans. Vendors in attendance included Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Centers Plan for Healthy Living, Doral Health and Wellness, and Link Homecare.
“Saturday was amazing,” said Angel King, President of the Breukelen Resident Community Council. “We had enough food to feed 2,000 families. The community worked together. I want to shout out all the amazing volunteers. Thanks to Congressman Hakeem Jeffries for always showing up for Breukelen. Today would have been impossible without all of them.”
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (2nd from right) with Breukelen RA President Angel King (2nd from left) at the food drive. 
Breukelen RA President Angel King and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (middle) with partners and volunteers at the food drive.
In addition to helping distribute food to residents, Congressman Jeffries also took time to speak with the Breukelen youth participants of the Heal the Violence program, which trains young people at 24 NYCHA developments to create healthy solutions for addressing violence in their communities. At Breukelen, the program is jointly run by D.R.E.A.M. Inc., The FARM (Foundation for the Advancement and Rehabilitation of the Marginalized), and the BRCC.
This year’s Thanksgiving food distribution is part of the BRCC’s efforts to combat food insecurity; the resident association has been hosting weekly “Get Fresh Food Pantry” food distributions outside of its office on Friday afternoons.
