Thanksgiving Volunteer

Under the watchful eyes of the Greek American Homeowners Association volunteer Mayor Michael Bloomberg dishes out a portion of a Thanksgiving dinner to be delivered by association members to shut-ins later on Thanksgiving Day. Bloomberg borrowed the cap he is sporting from Community Board 1 District Manager George Delis.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, joined by City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., gave a helping hand to the Greek American Homeowners Association as the association held its annual Thanksgiving Day dinner, serving turkey and all the trimmings free to all comers at association headquarters on 31st Street in Astoria.

After his trip to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan, Bloomberg crossed the East River and joined an assembly line set up at the association's kitchen to help prepare Thanksgiving meals, which were either served at the association's headquarters at 23-49 31st St. or delivered to hundreds of individuals and families. According to George Kitsios, association

president elect, who will assume office January 1, for the past 17 years the organization has helped provide Thanksgiving Day dinners to more than 1,000 families. This year, the association also delivered 325 turkeys to poor families two days before Thanksgiving and delivered some 800 complexly made-up dinners to still more families. "When you remember that a 10-to-14-pound turkey feeds about 10 people, between the turkeys and the dinners, we fed about 3,000 people in all," Association President George Alexiou said.

City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. (c.) posed with Greek American Homeowners Association President- Elect George Kitsios (l.) and an association volunteer at association headquarters on Thanksgiving Day. Photo DMD Images

Alexiou added that starting early on Thanksgiving Day and continuing throughout the afternoon, John Kyriakos and Nick Gavrialatos roasted 62 turkeys in the association's back yard. Under the leadership of John Milas, association vice present, and Peter Statathos, second vice president, who have served as dinner committee chairmen for the past 10 years, nearly all 35 members of the association's board of directors pitched in to help. The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, Inc., Nikos Diamantidis, president, cooked more turkeys. Local restaurants contributing to the effort included Waterfront Crabhouse, which provided "two or three turkeys, all equipped" according to Alexiou, and Taverna Vraka, Mike's Diner, the Neptune, Buccaneer and Bel Aire Diners and Iglio Restaurant. Dessert pastries were

contributed by Artopolis Bakery and Lefkos Pirgos. "When we first started, we used to ask the restaurants for d o n a t i o n s , " Alexiou recalled. "Now, they call us and ask what we need. And if we say we need four turkeys, they'll say, Well, how about six?' They ask what we need and they always send more."

Association Member George Fakiris began the food giveaway in memory of his father, Constantinos, His mother died several years ago, and he now makes substantial contributions to the effort in memory of both parents. George Alexiou supports the program in memory of his daughter, Melina, also recently deceased. Other members also contribute substantially, in money as well as time.

The Greek American Homeowners Association is the only such organization in the state of New York to own its own headquarters. At its monthly meetings the first week of every month, topics of interest to the entire community are discussed.

-Dan Miller and Linda J. Wilson