At Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, our holiday preparations are already underway. It takes a lot of advanced planning to prepare over 1,000 Thanksgiving feasts of vegetables, cranberry sauce, pie, and, of course, turkey.
Earlier this month, we sat down with one of our guests who is truly looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. William, with the help of our Social Services department, recently secured a room after over 5 years of living on the streets in New York. During his time on the streets, our Social Services department provided William with socks, hygiene kits, and a verification letter of homelessness, so he had the documentation he needed to prove he was eligible for housing assistance.
“They provided everything I needed,” William shared with us, reflecting on his years struggling to get out of homelessness.
Two years ago, William, who is in his 50’s, began working for Uber Eats, delivering food to countless New Yorkers while he often went without a hot meal. Despite working consistently, it took years for William to save up and be able to secure a room for himself.
This Thanksgiving will be the first holiday in over 5 years that William will be sheltered. He’s looking forward to seeing his sisters this holiday season. “I’m going to see them, now that I’m getting myself together,” William told us, excitedly chatting about a holiday season that will look very different for him this year.
We are overjoyed that William has a roof over his head during this holiday season, and we’re grateful for all our donors who are ensuring that our guests have access to a hot Thanksgiving meal in November.