Thanksgiving Food Giveaway In Newark Is Huge Success, Thousands Get A Holiday Meal

NEWARK, NJ — Thousands of Newark residents will have a Thanksgiving meal on the table this year thanks to a massive holiday food drive that took place in the city last week.

On Nov. 17, organizers distributed 2,000 turkeys and 6,000 boxes of fresh food to local residents in need at Weequahic High School. The free, public event provided families with a full Thanksgiving meal – including a whole turkey, russet and sweet potatoes, fresh cranberries, apples and carrots.

Visitors also got step-by-step directions on how to prepare a complete holiday dinner.

The event marked a major milestone for one of the event’s partners, HelloFresh. The company’s “Meals with Meaning” program has now distributed three million free meals to Newark families since its launch with the city in 2020.

What began as an emergency response to the COVID-19 shutdown has evolved into an ongoing effort to fight food insecurity year-round, with volunteers packing and distributing 1,300 meal boxes each week across Newark’s five wards.

The Newark Meals with Meaning program is also supported by Colavita and Wuhl Shafman Lieberman Corporation.

Another Essex County business pitched in with a donation of hundreds of turkeys: Sunrise ShopRite of West Caldwell. Meanwhile, Table to Table helped transport dozens of pallets of HelloFresh, turkeys, chickens and meals to the distribution site. Newark’s Brantley Brothers Moving Company also delivered 1,344 cases of specialty desserts provided by Bindi North America.

“I can’t think of any more meaningful work than making sure families have the nutrition they need to carry on in these difficult times, and it’s a privilege to help organize this effort,” Newark Chief of Staff Amiri Baraka Jr. said.

“Thanksgiving is especially meaningful in Newark because we are a city that comes together to give,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

“I wish everyone in Newark a happy Thanksgiving — may we celebrate with gratitude, awareness and solidarity,” he added.

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