Mini Episode: A Thanksgiving of Community, Connection, and Care at Encore

In this Thanksgiving mini-episode of The NYC Workforce Drop, Encore Community Services Executive Director Jeremy Kaplan returns to share what the holiday really looks like inside one of New York City’s most mission-driven older adult organizations. What starts as a simple question — “What’s going on at Encore on Thanksgiving?” — unfolds into a vivid picture of community care at scale.

Jeremy walks Greg through the astonishing scope of Encore’s holiday operation: 25,000 meals cooked during the week of Thanksgiving in a small Times Square basement kitchen; 7,000 to 8,000 meals dispatched up to the Bronx each week; and 4,000 special Thanksgiving lunches prepared on the holiday itself. About 300 older adults join Encore in Midtown for a family-style feast complete with live music and full table service, while thousands more receive a home-delivered Thanksgiving meal crafted with all the classics — turkey, yams, collard greens, cranberry sauce, rolls, and more.

With well over 100 volunteers supporting the day — from managing the in-person celebration to delivering meals up and down the West Side — Jeremy reflects on how Encore ensures older New Yorkers feel connection, dignity, and warmth on a day that can otherwise magnify loneliness. The work is about making sure every older adult knows someone is thinking of them.

Greg and Jeremy close with reflections on gratitude, chosen family, and the joy Jeremy finds in returning home after a full day of service — including to his beloved mini cockapoo, Cody — with a renewed appreciation for togetherness. Their message is simple and powerful: no one in this city should ever feel alone on Thanksgiving, or any day.

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Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)

Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network