The Blue Card, the nation’s leading nonprofit providing direct assistance to Holocaust survivors, has begun distributing 100 turkeys to survivor households across New York City after receiving a donation facilitated by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and New York state senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
Over the weekend, Hoylman-Sigal’s office alerted the organization that nearly 100 turkeys remained after a community distribution to neighbors on the Upper West Side, in partnership with local institutions. The Blue Card immediately picked up the extra turkeys and began deliveries to Holocaust survivors in need on Nov. 24.
“Many Holocaust survivors in New York City live alone, on limited incomes and without family nearby,” said Masha Pearl, executive director of The Blue Card. “A simple act of kindness like this ahead of Thanksgiving can mean the world to them.”
She continued, saying “we are grateful to Manhattan Borough president-elect Brad Hoylman-Sigal for thinking of survivors and helping us bring warmth, dignity, and care into their homes. Moments like these remind survivors that their community has not forgotten them.”
The turkeys were distributed to Holocaust survivors with the help of partners at the Kings Bay Y, which provided logistical support.
Hoylman-Sigal stated that “Thanksgiving is the holiday of fostering connection, and, apparently, also logistics. I’m grateful that not a single turkey went to waste this Thanksgiving and that we were able to share supplies with The Blue Card so Holocaust survivors across New York City can be offered both nourishment and hope this holiday season. My thanks to Lincoln Center, The Blue Card, Manhattan borough president Mark Levine, assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and councilmember Gale Brewer for helping me spread both the love and the turkeys. It turns out that moving frozen poultry around Manhattan is a team sport, and I’m glad we had the right team this Thanksgiving.”
The Blue Card continues its mission to ensure that the approximately 14,700 Holocaust survivors in New York City receive financial, medical and emotional support so they can live their remaining years with dignity and compassion.