Photo by Chris Sykes It’s kisses all around for a very satisfied member of the East Orange community who came out to eat the free Thanksgiving dinner at Fellowship Civic Center that Mayor Lester Taylor and Recreation Department Director Osner Charles organized on Thursday, Nov. 24, with the help of Partners In Action in Newark, the city's local My Brother's Keeper initiative, and Niama Hall.
It’s kisses all around for a very satisfied member of the East Orange community who came out to eat the free Thanksgiving dinner at Fellowship Civic Center that Mayor Lester Taylor and Recreation Department Director Osner Charles organized on Thursday, Nov. 24, with the help of Partners In Action in Newark, the city’s local My Brother’s Keeper initiative, and Niama Hall.
EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange Mayor Lester Taylor and Recreation Department Director Osner Charles have organized a new Thanksgiving tradition by hosting the first Community Dinner at the Fellowship Civic Center on Thursday, Nov. 24.
“This is a great time of year to reflect on how blessed and thankful I and my family are, for what we have in life, but it’s also time to reflect on folks in our community in East Orange and beyond, who might not be as fortunate as we are,” Taylor said Thursday, Nov. 24. “So I commend Director Osner Charles and the entire Recreation Department for putting this event together, to provide access to a great, home-cooked meal on Thanksgiving in our community. It’s a new day in East Orange and we’re excited about transformational change; we’re excited about urban excellence.”
Charles said the efforts Taylor praised him for are simply in keeping with the mayor’s vision to make East Orange the standard for urban excellence and a destination city. He said it’s just what they do in East Orange.
“This is the Fellowship Civic Center and this is a place where we expect people to fellowship and have a great time,” Charles said Thursday, Nov. 24. “We were able to transform the gymnasium into a banquet hall for those that are not necessarily in need financially, but those that just want to be around other folks fellowshipping.
“We also forget that this is a time of year when seasonal depression kicks in, when holiday depression kicks in. You have people that don’t have families to spend it with. We’re just glad that the mayor and the City Council support this initiative, where we can have people come out and fellowship with one another and, at the same time, receive a great, home-cooked meal.”
About the Author
