NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 4,650 New Yorkers whose lives have been shattered by Hurricane Sandy will get to enjoy a traditional holiday meal this Thanksgiving, thanks to a group of women entrepreneurs with big hearts and who had never even met before the super storm and an iconic New York grocery store.

"Thankful to Be Giving" (#thankfultobegiving) is joining with Fairway Market to prepare, deliver and serve traditional Thanksgiving dinners with all the fixings to more than 4,650 victims in devastated areas of Staten Island, Queens, and Brooklyn. Meals will be served on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at the PAL Center in Brooklyn and Hammell Center in Queens, and at the Beach Street Center, St. Francis, and Ebbets Street Center in Queens and Arianna's and Labetti in Staten Island on Thursday, Nov. 22.   

Fairway is donating all the food, Hershey Entertainment, located in Hershey, PA, is preparing the meals, and Northeast Transport is providing refrigerated transport of the food to each site.  

"The interest from the public to serve Thanksgiving dinner to those in the most impacted  New York communities, in some cases people who continue to survive without electricity, has been enormous," said Constance Costas, one of the three founders of Thankful to be Giving and principal of the marketing and business development firm Greenhill Agency.  "We're proud and we're privileged to help.  We're also pleased that volunteers continue to sign up each day to join our efforts through various social media outlets from across the NY region and Pennsylvania."   

Thankful to be Giving co-founder Ashley Swartz, founder and principal of Furious-Minds, Inc., a collective of media, technology and advertising executives who assist companies of all sizes, echoed these sentiments and noted that, "No one should be deprived of a hot meal and some community on Thanksgiving. That's what we are striving to do – provide some sense of normalcy and friendship over a delicious dinner." 

Added Thankful to be Giving co-founder Jacqueline Donovan, vice president of marketing at Fairway Market, "For those of us who have the means, the skills, and the expertise, it would be a waste not to utilize our resources for the benefit of those in need and at such a difficult time in their lives."

Thankful to Be Giving was established by the three women who were brought together by a shared sense of purpose and a desire to leverage their professional skills to make an impact amidst the Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts. These women were complete strangers until the super storm brought devastation to their beloved city.

Fairway Market has provided thousands of meals for those who were profoundly impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  The company has also donated truckloads of food, water and other staples to local food banks, emergency relief shelters, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and impacted areas in and around the city.

Contact:
DKC Public Relations
Bruce Bobbins
(212)-981-5190
(908)-586-5742

SOURCE Fairway Market