In observance of Diabetes Awareness Month, Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. hosted his 3rd annual, hands-on event dedicated to empowering people living with diabetes. The interactive gathering offered practical, everyday strategies to help attendees lead fuller, healthier lives and connect with a community that understands their journey.

More than 50 participants and a diverse lineup of sponsors packed the Monsignor Mulz Hall gymnasium at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Woodhaven on November 13, 2025. The event underscored a sobering reality: diabetes touches the lives of millions across the country and demands proactive, informed action. According to the American Diabetes Association, 38 million Americans are living with diabetes, with 1.2 million newly diagnosed each year. In 2023, 11.6% of Americans had diabetes, and 97.6 million adults were living with prediabetes, highlighting the urgent need for education, prevention, and support.

“This is my third year hosting this event in the community to help diabetics and pre-diabetics improve their life and their health in a fun and interactive way,” Addabbo said. “Yes, diabetes is a medical condition, and no one wants to have diabetes, but you can live a full life, a healthy life, a long life with proper medical care, exercise and nutrition, and that’s what we hope to show you this evening.”

The event featured a live cooking demonstration by representatives from Cornell University Cooperative Extension, NYC who prepared bulgur wheat with chickpeas and broccoli. Attendees were able to learn how to prepare the dish, taste a sample, and get a copy of the recipe so they could prepare it at home. The appetizer included plant protein and fiber while also being delicious and low in fat. It was served alongside healthy and refreshing fruit infused water featuring strawberries, lime, and orange slices. Cornell followed the demonstration by leading the attendees in light exercises that could easily be done by people of various mobility capabilities.

Jane Giordano, a certified diabetes education specialist and registered dietitian with St. Francis Hospital, gave a brief presentation discussing portion control, misleading sugar amounts in certain foods, how to differentiate between good and bad fats, and handed out oversized playing cards featuring a food item on one side and the nutrition facts for that food on the other side to help visually demonstrate the points she made during her talk.

At the end of the event, the audience was tested on the information that they learned. Giordano posed six questions and the first person to raise their hand and give the correct answer won a prize. She gave out two glucose testing meters. Parker Jewish Institute donated three gift baskets, and the grand prize for answering the most complex question received a huge gift basket donated Flor Cawley, an agent with State Farm in Glendale.

Attendees were also treated to a free full course diabetic dinner prepared by Caribbean Cabana and sponsored by EMU Health. It featured fish, chicken, broccoli, carrots, green beans, rice and plain yogurt with berries for dessert. 

Jane Kolodinsky, the Program Chair for C-FARE (The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics), traveled all the way from Vermont to attend the event. She spoke about the importance of locally grown produce, farmers markets and the health benefits of starting one’s own garden. 

Everyone who participated was also given fresh produce to take home provided by the River Fund and GrowNYC. This included apples, pears, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, cauliflower and applesauce.

“Diabetes affects so many people and that is why I continue to bring back this event every year,” Addabbo said. “I am glad that we are able to reach more people as constituents get to see the advantages of what we are doing. I would like to thank all our sponsors, particularly EMU Health for covering the cost of the dinner and their immense desire to give back to the community and Save the People for donating to the church to secure the space. I want to thank Pastor Walker for opening his doors to the community and his staffers who helped make sure the venue preparation went smoothly. I look forward to doing this event across the district in coming years and helping as many constituents as possible live their best life despite having diabetes.”