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<\/a>BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT Vanessa Gibson, City Council Member Eric Dinowitz ( C.D. 11) and a colleague distribute turkeys to residents of Tracey Towers and the surrounding area in Bedford Park and Norwood on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, during a turkey giveaway sponsored by Gibson, Dinowitz, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), Hot 97, WBLS and other partners.\u00a0Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-15), State Sen. Gustavo\u00a0Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblymember John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), and Council Member Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) partnered with HOT 97, WBLS and others for their Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway at Tracey Towers<\/a> on Thursday, Nov. 20, supporting Norwood and Bedford Park residents facing food insecurity ahead of Thanksgiving, which this year was Nov. 27. At the event, over 800 turkeys were distributed, along with dozens of fresh fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The 40-floor, Mitchell Lama housing complex at Tracey Towers, which opened in 1974 and has 871 units across two towers, provides affordable rental and cooperative housing to moderate-income and middle-income families.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Residents received free turkeys and holiday meal fixings to fill their tables for Thanksgiving and the giveaway was one of several turkey distribution events hosted during the holiday season by the borough president, other elected officials, and community partners.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs the cost of food increases, and food assistance programs that alleviate hunger for families and children are being disrupted, we are seeing firsthand the effect it is having on our communities,\u201d said Gibson. \u201cBronx residents should not have to choose between paying rent, accessing lifesaving medications, or putting a Thanksgiving meal on the table. Every Bronx family deserves a nourishing holiday meal this season.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid disruptions<\/a> in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP<\/a>), rising food prices, and long lines across the city at food pantries<\/a> and food banks, Gibson\u2019s office said the distribution came at a critical time. In The Bronx, more than 40% of people rely on SNAP<\/a>, the highest proportion of any borough, and with such rising food costs, she said it was especially difficult when purchasing extra groceries during the holiday season.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Norwood News spoke to Gibson on the day of the event and in the spirit of the season of Thanksgiving, she said it was something she and elected officials did each year, as reported<\/a>. \u201cWe are blessed to be a blessing to others,\u201d the borough president said, adding that canned and non-perishable items were also distributed in addition to the turkeys. \u201cIn light of what has happened with the federal shutdown, the need is even more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really grateful to our partners [\u2026] for the families here because we know there are many New Yorkers that are in need,\u201d Gibson continued. Norwood News asked if her office had been receiving many calls about food assistance, and she said, \u201cAll the time,\u201d adding that they had also helped SNAP residents accessing benefits with the new process where they have to reapply for their benefits which she said was very challenging.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve met with food service providers, we\u2019ve given out health bucks at the farmers\u2019 markets and the farmstands,\u201d she said, adding that the week of Nov. 20, they had been at Poe Park, Parkchester, and in Morris Heights on University and Burnside Avenues. We also spoke to Gibson about her recent reelection win. Read more in our post-election coverage here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kudjo Sogadzi, EVP of content & growth at MediaCo, said of the event, \u201cHOT 97 has always been deeply connected to the heartbeat of New York. Coming together during the holidays gives us a chance to uplift our neighbors and make a real impact. Seeing families leave with a sense of relief and joy is why we continue to show up, give back, and stand strong with the Bronx community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n For his part, JusNik, WBLS radio personality, said WBLS\u2019s commitment to the community went far beyond the music. \u201cEvents like the Tracey Towers Turkey Giveaway remind us of the power of showing up for one another, especially during the holidays. We\u2019re proud to stand with families across New York and help make this season a little brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Jean Hill, tenant association president at Tracey Towers, was also on hand on the day and was seen directing residents waiting in line. She said in part that both the Tracey Towers residents and those in the surrounding Norwood and Bedford Park community were blessed by the event organizers. \u201cA lot of families are going to have a Happy Thanksgiving because they care and remember the everyday people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hill also told Norwood News, \u201cWe\u2019re wishing everybody a very happy Thanksgiving. I know these are hard times for a lot of people so we\u2019re trying to accommodate as much of our community as we humanly can and we want everybody and their family members to have a wonderful holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The turkey distribution highlighted what Gibson\u2019s team also said was the critical role investment in programs like SNAP and community-based food distributions<\/a> play in ensuring families can access everything they need to make a warm and memorable Thanksgiving meal for themselves and their loved ones.<\/p>\n Staying on the theme of the elections, for his part, the councilman said he was happy with his own recent reelection win<\/a>, garnering 82% of the vote in District 11, and he also congratulated Shirley Aldebol<\/a>, newly elected Democratic councilwoman in the east Bronx District 13, saying it was a team effort by Democrats.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very thrilled that we all worked together,\u201d Dinowitz said. \u201cShirley did a great job of course and the Ben Franklin [Reform Democratic] Club<\/a> volunteered for her in the West Bronx, but we know that getting Democrats in office everywhere in The Bronx, in the City, and in the country is important, and that\u2019s why we went out to support her with our time. And now, I\u2019m looking forward to working with her in the City Council. She\u2019s already been traversing the district, traversing The Bronx, getting up to speed on the issues that she\u2019s worked so hard on for so many years (as an activist in the labor movement).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Of the turkey giveaway, the councilman said, \u201cTracey Towers is such an important part of the district so whether it\u2019s Thanksgiving drives, toy drives, we have holiday celebrations, giving out over a thousand turkeys and meals is one way we\u2019re able to support the community, but elected officials like Borough President Gibson, Assemblyman Zaccaro and myself, this is the type of work we do all year so we\u2019re giving out over a thousand turkeys and meals in my district alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n He added, \u201cThat\u2019s in addition to over $200,000 of funding we\u2019ve secured for our local food pantries, and in addition to thousands of health bucks that we\u2019ve handed out in the district.\u201d<\/p>\n We asked, given the additional need for food in the community this year, where that funding had come from i.e. if other areas incurred a cut. \u201cThe Thanksgiving drives are the high-profile events but this is where the [inaudible] throughout the year so in the FY [Financial Year] 2026 budget, the city council allocated more funding for food and more funding specifically for high needs districts,\u201d Dinowitz said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, I, through my discretionary funding, allocated even more money in things like health bucks (vouchers people can use directly in supermarkets to buy healthy food),\u201d he added in part. The councilman clarified that the FY 2026 budget started in July 2025 and that emergency funding had been set aside even before the federal government shutdown happened. He also referenced the additional funding made available and allocated by NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NY Gov. Kathy Hochul to cover food insecurity<\/a>\u00a0during the shutdown.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Dinowitz added, \u201cDuring this time of these high-profile Thanksgiving events, I remember when I was first elected, one of the first things I did as an elected official, was to set up more food distribution sites in my district.\u201d We asked if he was referring to those organized in conjunction with the late State Committeewoman for A.D. 80, Sandra Pabon<\/a>, which he had referenced during her street co-naming<\/a>. \u201cSome with Sandra,\u201d the former teacher said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome pop-up, but some more permanent sites that now, month after month or biweekly, people are coming in to get food,\u201d Dinowitz said. \u201cThat was based on what I saw in the classroom, what I heard from older adults, from my work in the council, so when it comes to food justice and food insecurity, it just reminds me that it was one of the first things that I did in office, and we continue that work to this day. There\u2019s always more to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Back from his recent post-election trip to the Somos political conference in Puerto Rico, we asked the councilman if he wanted to share some of the highlights. \u201cI was on a panel about bridging divides between different communities,\u201d he said adding that there were many other topics and panels. On the topic of bridging divides, we asked the councilman, who is Jewish, if he felt the appointment<\/a> of Jessica Tisch as police commissioner in the upcoming Mamdani mayoral administration was a hopeful sign.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think some of the appointments he\u2019s made so far are very good and assuage just some of my concerns about Mayor[-elect] Mamdani\u2019s experience within the City, and so I think they\u2019ve been very wise and responsible choices.\u201d My concern is who he\u2019s going to pick as schools chancellor. It\u2019s a position that\u2019s going to impact roughly a million kids.\u201d Asked if he had a preferred candidate, he said he thought the current chancellor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos<\/a>, a Bronx native, was doing a \u201cfantastic job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s spectacular in every aspect, whether it\u2019s as a manager or understanding the day-to-day goings on in the class room, she\u2019s the one to keep,\u201d the councilman said. Given former<\/a> Congressman Jamaal Bowman<\/a> (NY-16), a former teacher, campaigned<\/a> heavily for the mayor-elect, it\u2019s possible he might be a contender for the role.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Norwood News also spoke to some other attendees on the day, including Steven, a Tracey Towers resident, who said, \u201cThis is my first year volunteering (at a stand distributing the food) for Ms. Hill. I also teach the ladies here every Thursday night at Mahjong. I teach here and at the [Riverdale] Y.\u00a0 I teach at both places.\u201d Steven said people were also very excited about the turkey giveaway, adding, \u201cFrom what I understand, they needed it the most.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n We also spoke to a representative of Good Neighbor, who, speaking in Spanish, said, \u201cWe\u2019re here participating in the donations. We\u2019re coming here on behalf of the association, \u2018Good Neighbor,\u2019 accompanying all the people so that they have their turkeys and packages that we\u2019re donating so that in this Thanksgiving, they will be happy. On behalf of Good Neighbor and Ellen Marker, we salute everyone in New Jersey, New York, and its surrounding areas.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>CITY COUNCIL MEMBER Eric Dinowitz ( C.D. 11) and a colleague get in some squats while holding fresh turkeys as they wait to distribute them, together with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, to residents of Tracey Towers and the surrounding area in Bedford Park and Norwood on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, during an event sponsored by Gibson, Dinowitz, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) and Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), Hot 97, WBLS and other partners.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n<\/a>VOLUNTEERS DISTRIBUTE FOOD to residents of Tracey Towers and the surrounding areas in Bedford Park and Norwood in The Bronx on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, during a turkey and food distribution event hosted by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Hot 97, and various other partners.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n<\/a>REPRESENTATIVES FROM GOOD Neighbor pose for photo during a turkey giveaway sponsored by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Hot 97, WBLS and other partners for residents of Tracey Towers and the surrounding area of Norwood and Bedford Park, The Bronx on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n<\/a>REPRESENTATIVES FROM WBLS, and NYPD are seen manning stands during a turkey giveaway sponsored by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Hot 97, and various other partners, and held at Tracey Towers in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.\u00a0 \u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n<\/a>VOLUNTEERS DISTRIBUTE FOOD to residents of Tracey Towers and the surrounding areas in Bedford Park and Norwood in The Bronx on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, during a turkey and food distribution event sponsored by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Hot 97, and various other partners.\u00a0
Photo by S\u00edle Moloney<\/p>\n