Williams Girls Grateful Giving was created by Romina Williams and her three daughters: Isabella, Michaela and Gabby.
This drive gives back to the community by helping to feed New York City’s homeless population on Thanksgiving Day.
The idea began in 2015 when the three girls saw how many homeless people there were on the streets of New York.
They observed the many unfortunate people living outdoors in the cold without any family to celebrate the holiday with. Being a close-knit family themselves, the Williamses wanted to help and give back in some way to less fortunate people.
They decided to direct their efforts towards homeless people living in New York City, with donations coming from Long Islanders.
Each November, the Dix Hills family cooks individual homemade meals two days before Thanksgiving. They fill each tin with turkey, corn, mashed potatoes and more. Romina cooks all the food herself and her daughters have a lot of fun while assisting her in the kitchen. This tradition has become something they look forward to each year.
They also create blessing bags, containing personal hygiene items, blankets, gloves, socks, food, and other useful items. Each bag also includes a handwritten note wishing them a happy Thanksgiving, with an inspiring message on the back of the card.
This year, the Williams girls got their school involved, earning many generous donations from their fellow classmates.
They received items such as bags, nail clippers, toothpaste, food cans, granola bars, and even cash donations and gift cards.
Isabella persuaded her teachers to hand out cards to their students with specific items to bring in, and she also placed a donation box in her classroom in which people could leave their gifts.
The girls also got their friends and classmates to help with writing the notes to add to the bags.
After preparing all the homemade meals and heartfelt bags, the family drives around the city assisted by a few close friends and family on Thanksgiving morning.
They collectively hand out their charitable bundles while gaining pleasure in seeing the smiles on people’s faces.
Through their generosity and great effort, the Williams family was able to help more than 50 people while handing out meals and bags in November 2023.
Suggested donation items are listed on their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/williams_girls_grateful_giving/?igsh=YzVkODRmOTdmMw==
