Volunteers at Bowery Mission make sure New Yorkers don't go hungry on Thanksgiving
NEW YORK -- It's the Season of Giving, and several places around the area were open to help families struggling with food insecurity.
CBS New York visited the Bowery Mission on the Lower East Side, and met 49-year-old Rich Mora, first in line on Thanksgiving.
"I'm actually grateful," Mora told Carlin.
When Mora moved to New York City from Miami 15 years ago, he worked for years as a bouncer at clubs. But he said work, housing and food have been increasingly hard to come by.
"I have no family or friends, so... times are tough right now, to be honest, but in life, there's ups and downs," he said.
An army of volunteers served up more than 300 holiday meals at the mission.
"I'm a retired vet and this is the first year I'm doing this, and I actually love the idea of just giving back and helping others, especially in my hometown. So this is it for me. I'm going to come back every year now," said volunteer Angelica Jordan.
Returning to volunteer was Bridget Moynahan, star of the hit CBS series "Blue Bloods."
"Last time I was down here was right before COVID, so I wasn't able to come here and help out. It's a great place to just help serve the community. They're always so grateful, and the mission serves every single day, all day long, so they're constantly here giving back to the community," Moynahan said. "So it's great to come down and help out."
- Read More: People of all faiths help pack food to feed others on Thanksgiving at Upper West Side synagogue
"We could not pull off the Bowery Mission's 144th Thanksgiving celebration without all of these volunteers generously giving the time today," said Bowery Mission CEO James Winnas. "In our city, where 1 out every 83 people is now unhoused, it's so important that we open our table today, open our doors today, and make sure everyone has a place to be."
