Thursday, October 1, 2026
One of the most soul-nourishing activities of the New Greater Hempstead Chamber of Commerce is its annual “Friendsgiving,” which this year fell on Nov. 19.
About 35 seniors from two Hempstead senior housing facilities — General MacArthur Village at 260 Clinton Street and Totten Towers at 20 Totten Street — gathered in the community room of 260 Clinton, which also houses the Hempstead Housing Authority offices eight days before Thanksgiving.
Chamber president Dr. LaShawn Lukes and four members of her board of directors arranged the event and greeted the seniors as they entered the room.
Professional chefs who are Chamber members loaded two tables with roast turkey slices in gravy, with seasoned stuffing, creamy macaroni and cheese, flavorful collards, succulent candied yams, two kinds of rice, and sweet cranberry sauce. Cookies and cake on platters sat beside juice, soda and iced tea, completing the meal.
Opening the luncheon, Lukes expressed her admiration for the seniors and their lives in the community.
“Anyone that you come into contact with can be a positive experience,” she said, “and you are the driver of that experience.”
Students of Lukes’ financial literacy class at Hempstead High School had sent Thanksgiving messages to the seniors. Lukes read them aloud, provoking laughter with one message that said, “I’m grateful for the lessons you passed down so we don’t mess up and make the same mistakes you did.”
The same message concluded, “Thank you, seniors, for supporting the newer generation.”
Latoya Benjamin, a Chamber board member who owns V.I.P. Small Dog Sitting in West Hempstead, brought Jason and Gregory, who volunteer in her business as trainees. She engages their participation through her 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Abilities Unleashed, which provides opportunities for people with disabilities. Both last names were withheld due to privacy.
Jason known as “the Hangman King,” led the seniors in two lively games of Thanksgiving-themed Hangman.
As the meal was readied, Lukes circulated among the tables with a wireless microphone. Several seniors told why they felt grateful.
“I’m just glad I have a roof over my head and God in my life,” said one. “I’m a changed person today.”
“There’s nothing I’m not grateful for,” said another, “because God has really brought me through a rough year, the roughest year ever.”
“I’m thankful for being alive and I’m thankful for my family,” said a third senior who identified herself as Opal.
After words of kindness from the Housing Authority administrators and the chefs themselves, gentle music filled the air. The Chamber members in attendance brought the food to the tables: Lukes, Lamont Johnson (Hempstead school board member), Tim Edwards (property owner), Regis Thompson-Inuwa (who heads the Chamber’s Senior Committee), LaToya Benjamin, and Village Historian Reine Bethany.
The participating chefs were Jonelle Watson (Ms. Sauce Plates Culinary Horizon LLC), Rodney Lawrence (“Daddy Cake” Cakes and Treats), Moze and Maria of Long Island Soul Food Restaurant (429 South Franklin St. in Hempstead), and Guacado Mexican Grill (255 Fulton Ave., Hempstead).
