Brooklyn Liberty, Lions teammates among volunteers

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — MORE THAN 130 HOUSES OF WORSHIP, COMMUNITY KITCHENS AND NONPROFITS RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 70,000 pounds of Thanksgiving foods and fresh produce from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who hosted his annual giveaway last Friday, Nov. 21. Staff distributed nearly 70,000 pounds of fresh produce, non-perishables and other food items to the houses of worship, community kitchens and other community-based organizations addressing food insecurity and homelessness.

New York Liberty players Rebekah Gardner and Natasha Cloud joined the distribution effort, as did players from the Brooklyn Lions basketball team, volunteers from Brownsville In Violence Out, SUNY Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center Bridge Street Development Corporation, Men Elevating Leadership. Several corporations and other organizations made the giveaway possible: UA3, Citizens, Food Bazaar, Hispanic Federation, Macerich, Met Council, National Grid, Optimum and Ponce Bank.

Reynoso’s food giveaway aimed to mitigate the city’s food insecurity crisis that worsened suspension of SNAP benefits during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Nearly 1.8 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP benefits to eat.

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