Stew Leonard's Yonkers. 

By Ben Crnic From Daily Voice

Hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys will be handed out in Westchester as part of a community effort to support local families struggling with food insecurity resulting from the federal government shutdown. 

The event, hosted by Stew Leonard’s Yonkers, will take place on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m., where New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, City of Yonkers officials, and members of the Yonkers Police and Fire Departments will help distribute turkeys to local residents, food pantries, shelters, and charities. 

According to Stew Leonard’s, officials, police, and first responders will form a “human assembly line” to pass turkeys one by one into the backs of vehicles that will deliver them throughout the community.

The initiative is part of a larger regional effort by Stew Leonard’s to donate thousands of turkeys across the tri-state area this Thanksgiving season.

Store officials said this year’s distribution is especially critical as the federal government shutdown has delayed SNAP benefits, leaving more families than usual facing hardship ahead of the holidays.