Meals for Unity
UPDATE: Meals for Unity events are happening on a monthly basis thanks to the overwhelming support of the community. We work with local chefs, businesses, and volunteers to serve homemade meals to communities in need. Our current focus is the elderly community in Chinatown and hope to expand beyond Chinatown in the future. All donations cover the cost of ingredients and supplies.
Our fourth event is coming up on Saturday, July 17th. We'll be passing out another 300 meals at the Chinatown Community Center (62 Mott). If you'd like to volunteer, grab a friend and sign up below! We'll reach out with any open spots.
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Volunteer Sign Up: https://linktr.ee/mealsproject
Instagram: @mealsforunity
Our Story:
We have repeatedly witnessed hate towards the Asian American Pacific Islander community, but the violence towards the elderly -- the most vulnerable and respected population -- has especially left many of us feeling heartbroken with an unsettling urgency to do something about it.
For Brian Pham, the turning point was watching the video of a Filipino woman being attacked on West 43rd St., just a few doors down from his old apartment. With his birthday a couple days away, he alongside his good friends, Kat Vu and Kristani Alcantara, decided to do something about it.
Tapping into his passion for cooking, Brian set out to cook 100 meals for Chinatown’s elderly and, for his birthday, put out a call for $500 to cover ingredients and supplies. Within an hour, he received hundreds of donations from friends, family and colleagues, and raised over $4,000!
After 10 days of planning and thanks to the incredible help of local chefs, businesses, and 30 amazing volunteers, 322 homemade meals were served to the elderly at NY Chinese Community Center - the start of many meals.
Dozens of folks from all backgrounds came together to serve Chinatown’s elderly and demonstrated an undeniable theme: unity in the face of adversity. From this, Meals for Unity was born.
Meals for Unity is a grassroots organization dedicated to reducing food insecurity among marginalized communities in the New York City area. We aim to unite communities by providing meals to those who need it most.
