Thanksgiving season will again bring one of Long Island’s largest single-day turkey distributions to Valley Stream, as Green Acres Mall prepares to provide 1,000 turkeys to local families in need on Nov. 19.
The giveaway is part of a long-standing tradition at Green Acres, with the turkey distribution program running for a decade. Over the years, the event has grown into a coordinated, multi-agency distribution system involving elected officials, community groups, law enforcement and civic leaders.
“Being part of the Green Acres Gives Back 1000 Turkey Giveaway is a privilege,” Assemblyman and Village of Cedarhurst Deputy Mayor Ari Brown wrote in an email. “Helping families share a warm Thanksgiving meal reflects the compassion and unity that define our community, and I’m grateful to stand with those who make this kindness possible.”
The giveaway is not first-come, first-served at the mall, and the turkeys will not be available for walk-ups at Green Acres on the day of the event. All 1,000 turkeys have already been allocated through elected officials and community-based organizations, which are handling their own distribution plans. Some are using sign-ups, while others are holding scheduled handouts, but all of them will collect and distribute the turkeys on the same day because the product is frozen and cannot be stored on site.
The distribution includes traditional, kosher and halal turkeys, reflecting the diversity of the communities surrounding Green Acres. The mall has been purchasing the turkeys from multiple distributors, since no single source carries all three types. Frozen shipments are slated to arrive by truck, and partner offices and organizations are responsible for picking them up and transferring them to local households the same day.
“Green Acres Gives Back offers me the opportunity to help members of my district in making their Thanksgiving holiday special,” Councilwoman Melissa “Missy” Miller wrote in an email. “Thank you or your generosity.”
The effort is part of a larger year-round community program operated by Green Acres and its parent company, Macerich. Green Acres is one of three New York properties under Macerich ownership that hosts a Thanksgiving turkey initiative, with Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn and Queens Center also operating separate holiday distributions. At Green Acres, the project has expanded over time, and the current 1,000-turkey giveaway has been in place for the past three years.
Food insecurity across the region continues to shape demand for the program. Rising grocery costs and the recent pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have increased the need for direct food support heading into the holiday season. The purpose of the distribution is to ensure that families who may not otherwise be able to purchase a turkey are still able to sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
More than 20 organizations, along with community and civic partners, are also involved, such as the JCC of the Greater Five Towns Food Pantry, Kosher Response’s Gabriel Boxer, also known as the “Kosher Guru,” the Mill Brook Civic Association, officers from the 4th and 5th precincts of the Nassau County Police Department and additional participating organizations. Each is responsible for distributing its share of turkeys directly to households that it has identified in advance.
“What Green Acres has been doing for our community and keep doing is definitely leading by example showing how much they care and are giving back,” Gabriel Boxer, “The Kosher Guru”, wrote in an email.
