Feed Your Neighbors this Thanksgiving through CAMBA’s Holiday Meal Drive

FLATBUSH – It would have been easy for 76-year old Marcella to stay home rather than brave the cold and rainy Tuesday morning.  But that was not an option. Her $700 monthly Social Security check had been stretched to the limit to cover her $500 rent (not including gas and utility bills), and she had virtually nothing left for food. So she came to CAMBA’s Food Pantry.

“Wherever you can get some food, you have to come,” said Marcella. “I wish I could get even more.”

On her most recent visit, Marcella brought along her neighbor and friend Jeannete, a 40-year-old mother of one. Jeannete has toiled in her home health aide job for years and was struggling to make ends meet. Her neighborhood was being squeezed by higher rents, and her monthly budget had been exhausted. Marcella finally convinced Jeanette to come to the Food Pantry.

“I never had to do this before, and I’ve never been in this position before,” said Jeannette. “But now I’ll have enough food for the holiday for me and my child.”

As a New Yorker, perhaps you’ve seen some indications of the struggles faced by our neighbors— including the long line of men, women, and children who wait outside CAMBA’s Food Pantry at 21 Snyder Avenue each week. Every month, CAMBA serves nutritional food to thousands of local families who might otherwise go hungry.

CAMBA, whose motto is “where you can,” understands the complexities of poverty and meets clients where they’re at in their lives: if clients’ cupboards are bare, CAMBA’s food pantry is where they can fill their shopping carts and pick up some fresh vegetables from the pantry’s lush hydroponic garden; if clients are looking for job training, CAMBA is where they can attend classes and be connected with employment opportunities; and on Thanksgiving, CAMBA is where hungry families from around Brooklyn can pick up a turkey, and all the fixings, for a rare and much-deserved celebration.

While the challenges of poverty do not show any signs of lessening for our neighbors in need, over the next two weeks, CAMBA’s 500 Meals for 500 Families campaign is where you can provide a full Thanksgiving meal to local families:

• For $25, you can supply a turkey/protein and all the trimmings for a family of six.
• For $50, you’ll bring that to two families.
• For $100, you’ll ensure four families enjoy a memorable Thanksgiving meal.
• For $250, you’ll treat 10 families the kind of Thanksgiving dinner that everyone should enjoy.

Now in its sixth year, CAMBA’s “500 Meals for 500 Families” campaign has always seen an incredible outpouring of support from all of you. Last year, our community made it possible for the turkey drive to raise about $15,000 thanks to the generosity of BKLYNER readers. Let’s make this year just as supportive so that no family goes hungry this Thanksgiving.

Ease your neighbors’ struggles this holiday and provide those most in need with the respite of a bountiful meal: donate to 500 Holiday Meals for 500 Families today!