Thursday, October 1, 2026
For 18 years, Angelik Bell has spent the weekend before Thanksgiving making sure families in her community have what they need for the holiday.
This year marked a milestone for the 47-year-old Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital nurse case manager, who held the annual turkey giveaway for the first time in her own Uniondale backyard on Saturday. Though the event has long been a tradition for her family, hosting it herself symbolized her step into a role she had watched her mother lead from her own home for the past 17 years.
Bell has worked at LIJ Valley Stream for almost 10 years. Growing up in Uniondale, she was inspired to become a nurse in her teens after helping care for her aunt, who had systemic lupus and needed ventilator support at home. Nurses taught her basic skills like suctioning and ventilator care, which encouraged her to pursue nursing.
Service, however, was rooted in her life well before that. Her parents, Joanna and Ricky Richards, founded the nonprofit Harvest for the World after Bell survived a serious car accident in her early 20s.
“I had a fractured spine, I had a lot of internal damage, and I walked away from that accident like nothing ever happened,” Bell said. “My mom had said that while she was praying, she said, ‘I’ll make a promise to make sure I give back and do things for other people, if you help my daughter to get through this.’”
Following her recovery, Bell’s mother honored that promise by launching the nonprofit focused on feeding and supporting those in need. What began as a food pantry operating out of a local church eventually grew into a larger organization as the demand increased. Bell also recalled how her mother’s generosity extended beyond food assistance, including opening their family home to people who had nowhere else to stay.
From those foundations, the turkey giveaway became an extension of the family’s work. Bell said the earliest years grew naturally through word of mouth and conversations with residents about their struggles and food needs. The family continued the tradition annually, serving an increasing number of people as community needs grew. This year, 123 turkeys were distributed.
The sourcing of the turkeys has relied on a combination of community partners. Local supermarkets supported the effort by offering turkeys at reduced prices, sometimes as low as $4 each, because they understood the purpose of the giveaway. Long Island Cares also contributed turkeys and other items that supplemented what the family purchased.
With her mother approaching 70 and feeling the physical demands of the event, Bell took on leadership this year. She prepared her backyard by clearing the garage and setting up stations along her driveway so families could easily pick up turkeys and other items. A dedicated group of volunteers from the hospital supported the effort.
Nurses like Susan Gerstein donated supplies and volunteered on site, while Janice Coe helped raise funds; organized coat drives and also volunteered. Other colleagues, including Mildred Casareno, Debbie Macchio, Ayisha Edwards, Diane Graham, Elaine James, Stacy Yearwood, Keasha Guierrer and Ann-Marie Dodge, contributed in various ways to ensure the event’s success. Julie Mathew played a key role by coordinating toy donations.
“This is what makes up a community,” Bell said. “As a whole, if we work together, we can weather any storm. We’re all here for each other. I don’t like for people to feel alone. There are people who are here that will help, and we all got to care about one another.”
As the giveaway has grown, it has introduced Bell to families facing significant challenges. She recalled one family in which a mother, who had recently lost her husband, had moved into a home without furniture, food or clothing for her children. Through a donor who was relocating and needed to clear out a house, her mother gathered a team and transported furniture to the family, along with coats, shoes and clothing. Experiences like that reinforced the purpose behind the work and the importance of being present for others during difficult times.
Bell’s two daughters, nine-year-old Ariella Bell and 15-year-old Lanaya Smith, have been helping with the family’s volunteer work for many years. At the yearly turkey giveaway, they usually help hand out toys. The toys are given out with help from the nonprofit’s partnership with Toys for Tots and are sorted by the children’s age and gender. The event often includes visits from Santa Claus and hot cocoa.
“I think it’s important for them to be out there and to have a humanitarian side to them,” Bell said. “To know that it’s important to make sure that other people are okay, because we all live in this world together.”
Looking ahead, Bell said she hoped to expand the community service her family provides. She has discussed ideas with colleagues, including the possibility of hosting community health fairs that could pair medical education with food distribution. With friends who are physicians and her own nursing background, she envisioned events where residents could receive guidance on managing conditions such as hypertension while also receiving food appropriate for their health needs.
Reflecting on the 18-year tradition, Bell expressed pride in the legacy her mother created and in the impact, they have been able to make together. As the Uniondale and Valley Stream communities enter the Thanksgiving season, she emphasized the importance of people caring for one another and working together, believing that collective support strengthens the community in facing challenges.
