Day: November 22, 2024

Thanksgiving Day preparations are already underway in Brooklyn, thanks to local businesses and civic leaders who helped distribute free turkeys this week — and there are even more on the horizon.

Ruby’s Bar and Grill hosted a giveaway on the historic Riegelmann Boardwalk Nov. 19, with donations totaling 500 turkeys.

Local politicians and charity drive partners like Council Member Justin Brannan and State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton joined the effort, distributing the frozen birds to Coney Island families in need. They were assisted by neighboring businesses, including Brooklyn Beach Shop, Luna Park, Paul’s Daughter, Tom’s Coney Island, Deno’s Wonder Wheel and Nathan’s.

“This is one of my favorite traditions in Coney Island every single year,” Scarcella-Spanton said at the event, “making sure that you have food on your table to enjoy a nice warm meal on Thanksgiving with your friends and family.”

“These guys really come together to give back to folks in need during the holidays. It’s very, very special,” Brannan added. “Let’s have a happy Thanksgiving.”

Both partners also gave a special shoutout to local law enforcement during the event’s opening ceremonies.

Giveaways across the borough

On Nov. 20, Council Member Mercedes Narcisse partnered with DoorDash for a turkey giveaway event in her area. DoorDash provided $2,000 to purchase turkeys for families in District 46 facing food insecurity.

On Nov. 21, Council Member Susan Zhuang, who represents parts of Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, and Sunset Park, provided free food to older residents. 

Zhuang teamed up with the Zhanjiang Association of America Corp, ChefScape, and Spreading Love to pass out turkeys and chickens to community members 65 years old or older.

“Their generosity during the Thanksgiving season should be commended. With food prices still high, it is important that seniors in the community have access to free food in preparation for Thanksgiving Day next week,” Zhuang said in a statement. “That is why I am happy to hold this event with our sponsors.”

Also on Nov. 21, just a week before Thanksgiving, Council Member Chi Ossé joined Drive Change to host the group’s fifth annual holiday turkey giveaway.

According to Kalilah Moon, executive director of Drive Change, this event is part of the organization’s efforts to disrupt cycles of poverty and incarceration in Bed-Stuy.

“During a time of division and uncertainty, events like this demonstrate the power of coming together to create positive change,” Moon said in a statement. “Our Turkey Giveaway is more than food distribution—it’s about dignity, care, and hope. We are committed to meeting the immediate needs of our neighbors while working to build systemic solutions to cycles of poverty, trauma, and incarceration.”  

Other local donation events included:

Almost a dozen city officials, including U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Speaker Adrienne Adams and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams organized a donation of 1,500 turkeys at Kings Plaza on Nov. 21; Elite Learners, a nonprofit specializing in wrap-around services, surprised seniors with free turkeys and Thanksgiving dinner gift cards at their weekly food pantry on Nov. 20; Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn gave away nearly 1,000 turkeys across households and community-board organizations in Flatbush; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso hosted a Thanksgiving food distribution event outside Brooklyn Borough Hall on Friday, where almost 50,000 pounds of fresh produce and Thanksgiving foods were distributed to more than 115 pre-registered houses of worship, community kitchens, and nonprofits.

Coming up

It’s not too late for Brooklynites still putting their holiday meals together.

On Saturday, Nov. 23, Council Member Crystal Hudson will collaborate with DoorDash to host a turkey giveaway event for families facing food insecurity in District 35. Taking place at St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in Brooklyn from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the initiative aims to support the estimated 1.2 million food-insecure residents in New York City.

DoorDash has contributed $2,000 to help purchase turkeys and additional holiday fixings, reinforcing their commitment to combating local food insecurity. According to a 2022 food policy report, roughly 1. 2 million NYC residents struggle with food insecurity. 

Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman and rapper Busta Rhymes will also work with LinkNYC, IAmWondaWoman, a youth nonprofit, and East Flatbush Village, Inc. to help feed more than 300 families on Saturday. Local families can pick up free turkeys, fresh produce, canned goods, and other essentials at P.S. 135, 684 Linden Blvd, at 11 a.m. The event hosts also present a mental health workshop for teens and parents.

Get ready, Brooklyn. “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show” is coming to town.

The one-of-a-kind comedy special will make its Kings County debut at the historic Kings Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 5. The show, which has built a devoted following over its seven-year history, promises wild and unpredictable storylines featuring drag icons Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme.

The holiday spectacular has seen the duo embark on a variety of fantastical adventures, from an “A Christmas Carol”-inspired time travel romp to battling AI overlords, navigating a meta world of their own creation, and exploring post-pandemic depression through a talking peppermint candy puppet.

Directed and produced by DeLa, The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show kicked off its 33-city tour on Nov. 7 and run through Dec. 29, making stops in some of its usual places like the Big Apple and, for the first time, at venues across the south, where last year’s wave of hateful anti-drag and anti-trans legislation hit close to home.

Speaking with Brooklyn Paper, Jinkx and DeLa reflected on their journey to Flatbush’s Kings Theatre — and what makes this year’s production their biggest yet.

“It’s so exciting that we’ve stuck it out for seven years,” Jinkx said, crediting DeLa’s production team, which she said has helped grow the holiday show. “The production has fueled our success, which has fueled the production, and so on. It’s been this ping-pong effect, feeding into each next project. And now, seven years later, we’re tackling something really big — we’re going to fill the Kings Theatre with a two-act musical, with all the sense and sensibility of a drag queen variety show.”

“For us, it’s about the reclamation of the holiday season — celebrating chosen family, building your own traditions, and forging a personal connection to the idea of ‘homecoming,’” DeLa added. “These themes have been our focus from the start. But, you know, after doing this for so many years with the goal of creating a new show each time, eventually you run out of candy cane jokes, and you have to get really weird.”

Over the last few years, DeLa said, they’ve tried it all.

“We’ve gone sci-fi, we’ve gone meta, and the audience has gone on these wild journeys with us, which only emboldens us to push the envelope even further. So, this year, we’re taking a very familiar holiday classic — one we haven’t touched before — and turning it on its head, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I’m excited to take our audience on this wild ride.”

While the plot of this year’s show remains under wraps, fans can expect another round of campy humor, heartwarming storytelling, original songs, and thrilling dance numbers, all complemented by the pair’s signature iconic costumes.

“We’re doing a kind of classic hero’s journey — think epic, Homer-esque storytelling — but with a holiday twist,” DeLa said.

When asked to describe the show in three words, the stars took turns, landing on “irreverent,” “joyful,” “hilarious” and (a necessary fourth word), “important.”

“We strive to be entertaining and earnest,” Jinkx added. “You know, we talk, we tackle the issues that are important to us and to our community in the silliest, most light-hearted way possible because that is how we work best.”

“Choose any of those four words of those 106,” DeLa jabbed.

Taking the show the Kings Theatre is also important to the queens.

“You know, it’s been incredible to bring this show to New York over the years. When the show grew so big that we had to move it to the historic, gorgeous Kings Theatre, that was a huge step for us,” DeLa said. “It’s always been amazing to perform there, especially in a city where the arts are at their peak, where theater and live entertainment are truly thriving. To bring our specific brand of performance to a place like that and have the city embrace us with open arms — that’s a real badge of honor. We’re so excited to continue that tradition with the wonderful people of Brooklyn.”

Jinkx — who recently stepped into the role of Matron “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s “Chicago” — agreed.

“We’ve both been coming to New York with our original shows for years, in various capacities, and I feel like New York really makes you earn your place,” she said. “It takes about a decade before they start treating you like family. But in the last few years, when I go to New York, it feels like everyone’s saying, ‘Hey, Jinkx, welcome back!’ Even strangers on the street, I’m like, ‘What? When did that happen?’ It’s the biggest little city in America.”

This year’s show promises to be bigger, bolder, and more fabulous than ever before.

“We’ve written an entire play with musical elements, there’s original music, pop parodies, lots of dance, and production values we’ve never tackled before,” Jinkx said. “If you’ve never seen ‘The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show,’ this is the year to come”

“And just assume that this is the level we’ve always been working at,” she laughed.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit jinkxanddela.com.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial staff highlights images from around the world, photos courtesy of the Associated Press.

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The FDNY honored Chaplain Monsignor John E. Delendick with a World Trade Center plaque dedication at Engine Company 257, Tower Ladder 170, and Battalion 58 in Canarsie on Friday, the first anniversary of his line-of-duty death. Delendick, who joined the FDNY in 1996, died on Nov. 22, 2023, after a battle with 9/11-related cancer.

Father Delendick arrived at the World Trade Center shortly after the second plane struck and survived the collapse of the towers. Over the next eight months, he dedicated countless hours to escorting families to the site, officiating memorial and funeral services, and supporting the loved ones of those who perished. For years, he was a beloved presence at FDNY events.

FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker reflected on Delendick’s contributions.

“The chaplaincy in this department is very important to me, and it’s not just because I knew Monsignor from my time as a trustee of the foundation, which I think all of you know I’ve been a part of for a long time,” he said, going on to say that it’s because of the amount of people who came from across the world to honor Delendick. “It’s all of us.”

“And that’s the FDNY that I have found in the first 102 days of being the Fire Commissioner,” he went on, “and that’s why I love my job so much, and I’m so honored to have this role as your commissioner.”

Tucker shared memories of the late monsignor.

“On good days, he was a friend and a confidant, quick with a joke and a jab. It’s not uncommon to find him sitting in the kitchen, just hanging out. He understood that this department needs that, and he lived it every day,” he said. “When Monsignor Delendick came to the Fire Department as a chaplain in 1996 — a job he loved and cherished —with his quick wit and sharp tongue, he easily blended into the department and with the members, and he was a favorite among them.”

First Deputy Commissioner Mark Garrett also reflected on his friendship with Delendick.

“He was always there for me. When my dad had a serious stroke, he was there to give him last rites,” he said. “My dad lived for seven years after that, and when he passed away, Monsignor was there to say the funeral mass. He loved the FDNY, and we loved him.”

Born on September 4, 1949, in Queens, Delendick was ordained a priest in February 1977 at St. Sebastian Church in Woodside. Committed to serving others, he joined the FDNY as a chaplain on May 15, 1996. Over the years, he served in various churches across Brooklyn, leaving a lasting influence on communities in Fort Greene, East Flatbush, Carroll Gardens, and Sunset Park.

Even while battling cancer, the monsignor continued his chaplain duties, officiating at funerals, attending plaque dedications, and providing comfort to those in grief.

Garrett shared another “very personal story” to him and his firehouse — FDNY Engine 214/Ladder 111 in Bed-Stuy — recalling a time when firefighter Chris Wheelhan from Ladder 111 had a heart attack on the job in Marine Park. Before Wheelhan passed away, Garrett said he and his colleagues were gathered at his bedside at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital.

“We’re standing there and [Wheelhan’s wife] Mary leans into me and she says, ‘I really would like a set of rosary beads.’ And I said, ‘Okay…Monsignor should have some.’”

Garrett recalled asking the monsignor for rosary beads, but, true to his nature, he sometimes turned down his hearing aids.

“He leans over and says, ‘Sweet peas?’” he said to chuckles. “I think it’s a great reflection of who he actually was for this department and what he meant to us.”

Retired Captain Robert Roth also shared some funny memories with the monsignor.

“He would always come for dinner. Engine 257 and Tower Ladder 170 was his favorite firehouse. He was on call for the firehouse 24/7 — there for them through the Vandalia Avenue fire, Steven Pollard’s line-of-duty death, and the fire that claimed Timothy Klein,” he said.

“He would just love to stop in, have a cup of coffee, and sit here with the members. He loved that Canarsie always gave him what we call ‘dinner and a show,’” Roth went on. “We’d break each other’s chops. You know, we had a few characters pass through here, and someone would usually start a story and look at Monsignor John. They’d say, ‘Forgive me, Father,’ when a story started.”

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