Volunteers from across Queens are making sure everyone has a meal this Thanksgiving. Leisha Majtan filed this report.
When Jasmine Cruz found out how many children go to bed hungry each night, she knew she had to do something to help.
“I just feel as though that one in four children is just outrageous,” said Jasmine Cruz, a Volunteer with City Harvest.
For the last two years, Cruz has been volunteering with City Harvest -- a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding New Yorkers in need.
Every year before the holiday season, hundreds of volunteers get together to "Repack to Give Back."
They fill boxes with Thanksgiving favorites to give to those needing an extra hand during the holidays.
“There are a lot of working families who just can't make ends meet. So having the opportunity to get folks involved, to make a lot of boxes for distribution with great, healthy items to help feed families during the holidays is really important,” said Jennifer Szapiro of City Harvest.
The food is donated by local farmers and will feed more than 20-thousand New Yorkers.
The volunteers say giving back is what the holiday season is all about.
“It's just an amazing thing to do, giving back, especially with Thanksgiving around the corner. It's unfortunate a lot of people are hungry,” said Calvin Lo, a volunteer with City Harvest.
“We have the same goal of bringing happiness and health and overall nutrition to people in need,” added Zoee Silber, another Volunteer.
The volunteers say they get so much more out of the experience than they give...
“We're doing something, putting in our time and effort to make sure everyone is going to be having an enjoyable Thanksgiving,” said Lo.
And so for making the holidays a little brighter this year, the City Harvest Volunteers are our Queens People of the Week.