This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Yankees stepped to the plate this past week, helping make Thanksgiving a bit brighter for families in the Bronx.

“We are committed neighbors, and we're always looking to engage our neighbors and community partners to make a difference,” said Brian Smith, the Yankees’ senior vice president of corporate/community relations. “That's what we're doing today; we're making a difference. We're going to make sure that individuals throughout the holiday season have a smile on their face.”

On Nov. 17, the organization began its holiday cheer initiative by partnering with Krasdale Foods for the annual Thanksgiving Food Voucher Giveaway, distributing approximately 4,000 food vouchers to help Bronx residents put meals on the table.

“We are a member of this community,” Smith said. “We’re not a business that just operates in this community. These are our neighbors. We should be a productive member of the community, and that’s what our organization is committed to doing.”

The Yankees also teamed up with Legends Hospitality and the Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network (SCAN) to host a Thanksgiving feast for several hundred local families at the Rev. T. Wendell Foster Recreation Center, located across the street from Yankee Stadium.

“At a recent staff meeting we had with all our project directors, they all were talking about how excited the kids were about coming here for Thanksgiving, which really was very heartening,” said Lewis Zuchman, the executive director of SCAN-Harbor. “I can’t thank the Yankees enough for their generosity.”