Where to get a free Thanksgiving Day meal in NYC

Today’s newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ☁️ Mostly cloudy, a chance of showers, highs in the lower 60s.

It’s Wednesday in New York City, where an unprecedented two-week pause of federal food assistance benefits put families in a bind just weeks before Thanksgiving.

We’ve compiled a list of locations across the five boroughs offering free Thanksgiving meals.

We’ve also collected your advice on how to grocery shop on a budget.

Here’s what else is happening:

Seventy New York City Housing Authorityemployees have been convicted of bribery, fraud or extortion after what federal prosecutors called the largest single-day corruption sweep in the Department of Justice’s history.
- Federal prosecutors charged the NYCHA workers last year for ultimately taking $2 million in kickbacksfrom minor construction projects, window repairs and other small-scale jobs.
New York City’s Office of Nightlife has doled out its first-ever Nightlife Grants, issuing over $350,000 to 12 different organizations and venues.
Johnathan Warren, New York City’s “Fan Man,” has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for flying his lightweight fan-powered paraglider above city waters.
Sixty percent of the nearly 7,000 inmates at Rikers Island in October required mental health services, up from 42% in a 2016, according to a new report from John Jay College.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a coalition of more than a dozen states in asking a federal judge to block the Trump administration from cutting funds used to house thousands of formerly homeless New Yorkers.
A new state law in New York will allow close friends to authorizeorgan, eye or tissue donations on behalf of deceased individuals with no available next of kin.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has asked 179 City Hall employees to resign before he takes office. (“That Mr. Mamdani’s housecleaning should be so thorough might be a testament to the unusual extent to which Mr. Adams filled City Hall with longtime friends whose principal qualification often seemed to be loyalty to the mayor,” writes the New York Times.)
The MTA is ramping up station cleanings at Rockefeller Center and other Midtown subway stations where holiday tourists tend to dump trash that can cause track fires.
Here’s a recap of last night’s Jersey Citymayoral runoff debate. (The election is next Tuesday.)
A lawyer representing the alleged Brooklyn dine-and-dasher has requested a psychological evaluation for her client, claiming she “seems to be confused about what’s going on.”
The Hofstra men’s soccer team is going for a Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament right now.
Goodwill stores are getting fancier.
Macaulay Culkin came up with a storyline for another “Home Alone” movie he’d be willing to star in.
“Who says management consultants can’t be literary heroes?“
House parties are still happening.

More from Gothamist Why isn’t there more outdoor dining in NYC? City says restaurants aren’t applying.Under a previous pandemic-era initiative, outdoor cafes could operate year-round, but the city required that restaurants close their outdoor operations in November 2024, then apply to the new program to reopen them this year.The hottest clubs in NYC these days are volunteer trash pickup groupsA growing number of volunteer groups that collect litter on sidewalks have popped up, attracting people looking to clean up the city — and meet new friends in the process.Federal judge dismisses mortgage fraud charges against NY AG Letitia JamesJudge Cameron McGowan Currie wrote in an order that Lindsey Halligan, the acting federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia who charged James, had “no lawful authority to present the indictment.”Times Square unveils largest-ever New Year’s Eve Ball with circular crystalsFor the first time ever, the revamped centerpiece will also be open for public viewing.Instagram Facebook Tw

TheVoiceOfJoyce