The NYPD handed out about 100 turkeys and chickens to needy Bronx families on Monday evening — and that’s just a fraction of the thousands expected to be provided by police across the city before Thanksgiving.
Officers set up tents outside the 45th Precinct for the day’s turkey giveaway, with personnel from the NYPD and volunteers from the department’s youth group “Options” pitching in to help out.
“It may seem like a simple gesture, but the fact is that for families facing food insecurity, this is really critical to them,” New York City Police Foundation president and CEO Susan L. Birnbaum told The Post.
The turkeys were provided by the police foundation, which donated more than 3,000 for giveaways across the entire city.
And the event at the Bronx station house was also just a sliver of the effort — every precinct across the Big Apple is giving away birds for the holiday in similar events that kicked off last week and will continue through Wednesday.
“There are a lot of families right now facing food insecurity and the fact that we have the option to be able to provide these resources through the generosity of the donors, to the Police Foundation, and then the NYPD can distribute these turkeys to their community, it’s just a win win for everyone,” Birnbaum said.
This year’s giveaway is just the latest in an effort that’s been underway for years, Birnbaum added.
It’s not just a vital service that keeps families fed on the holiday — it brings local officers and their community face to face every year.
“When people think of the police they think about them as crime fighters, but they’re also community partners,” Birnbaum said.
“And I think that that’s a message, that’s a strong message that’s given out right now when people are really, really in need for food this year,” she added.
