Stars, Neighbors and a Very New York Thanksgiving
On a cool November evening in Staten Island, the sound of music and easy conversation spilled out of Diamond Event Space as families lined up for one of the borough’s most anticipated community traditions. The fifth annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway, hosted by CMB Group in partnership with The Uncle Chase Foundation, returned on November 25 with a simple goal that has become a powerful local ritual: ensuring that no family goes without a holiday meal.
Dr. Carlos M. Barrera, CEO of CMB Group and a lifelong Staten Islander, welcomed residents alongside rapper Fivio Foreign, CleoTrapa, Nizzle Man and New York Giants running back Dante Miller. Their presence, though star powered, was rooted in something quieter and more meaningful. The event drew roughly two hundred families from West Brighton and the North Shore, many of whom arrived with children, neighbors and friends, turning the evening into an informal gathering that felt as much about connection as it was about support.
Inside, volunteers moved between tables with turkeys, canned goods and gift cards. DJs Nicky Rizz and Alex Ratikan kept the room lively, but the atmosphere was shaped less by spectacle and more by an unmistakable sense of community. For many, the gesture went beyond food. It was the assurance that someone sees them, especially at a time of year that can feel heavy for those facing financial strain or spending the holiday alone.
Dr. Barrera, who has built a reputation for sustained community outreach and pro bono service, described the motivation behind the initiative with a clarity that resonated deeply.
“I am most grateful this Thanksgiving season to be in a position to give back to those less fortunate,” he said. “The holiday season can be joyous for some but saddening to others, for instance those who may not have a holiday meal in a warm home surrounding the dinner table. If even for a split second we can bring happiness to a person with these meals and events, our objective has been completed. And for the community to receive these meals from the same celebrities they look up to is a great deal.”
Representatives from the Office of Senator Jessica Scarcella Spanton, the Office of Assemblyman Charles Fall and members of NYPD Community Affairs joined in, greeting families and offering support. Their presence added to the feeling that the event belonged to the neighborhood itself, not merely to its organizers.
Partnerships stretched across the borough, from small businesses to nonprofit organizations, each contributing to make the giveaway possible. Sponsors such as R and J Travel Insurance, Juvenescence Aesthetics, Hillside Farm to Bagel and Key Food Fresh reflected a network of local supporters who understand that community care is most powerful when shared.
Photographers Sean K. Fitzpatrick and David Germain captured the evening in a series of quiet, dignified portraits that showed families carrying their holiday meals with smiles, hugs and a kind of relief that can be felt without being said aloud.
In a season often defined by rush and abundance, the event served as a reminder of what giving can look like when it is thoughtful, consistent and rooted in lived experience. For Staten Island, it was more than a charity drive. It was a moment of collective generosity, a reaffirmation of the belief that communities grow stronger not in grand gestures but in shared meals, open doors and neighbors showing up for one another.
Photo by Flicksbyzo