A Letter From The Executive Director

by Caryn Roth

Dear Friends,

As I reflect on this past year, I’m struck by how much we’ve been able to accomplish together. Just a few days ago, we hosted another unforgettable Free Food Christmas in Harlem, where we served over 300 three-course meals. Every dish was thoughtfully crafted from donated, zero-waste ingredients, and shared with a room full of joy, warmth, and community. The tables brimmed with poinsettias and donated flowers, filling the space with festive cheer, while the sound of Christmas music played softly in the background.

Volunteers, both new and familiar, came together to create an atmosphere of belonging and celebration. One of our longtime guests-turned-volunteers, Shirley, said it best: “Some people have nowhere to go for Christmas. I’m so glad I get to be here.” I couldn’t agree more. Standing in that room, surrounded by our guests who feel like family, our dedicated chefs and volunteers, and the comforting aroma of a warm, nourishing meal on a cold winter’s day, I knew there was nowhere else I’d rather be.
This beautiful event was just one highlight of what has been a truly impactful year for Unconditional Freedom.

2024: A Year of Growth and Impact

This year, we took important steps forward in our mission to restore dignity and power to marginalized communities. Among our most significant milestones:

Free Food Expansion – We established three weekly services in our Refettorio Harlem space, a collaboration with Massimo Bottura’s Food for Soul. Each meal represents not only nourishment but also the bringing together of community, sustainability, and shared humanity.

The Art of Soulmaking – This program offering tools and resources to foster healing, creativity, and self-discovery to the incarcerated expanded its reach to over 1,000 prisons, touching the lives of more than 50,000 participants.

Free the Artist – In 2024, we launched this initiative to encourage incarcerated participants to express their creativity and share it with the world on our online platform.

Women Over Dinner – In addition to 200 dinners across the world, we held our first Women Over Dinner event inside a prison—a deeply moving and powerful gathering reminding women of their power and resilience regardless of circumstances.

Media Recognition – Our work was covered by the UN Environment Programme and spotlighted in publications such as Eater, the Good Men’s Network, and the Times of Israel Blog, amplifying our message and inspiring others to join the movement.

Through every meal served, every letter written, and every conversation shared, our intention has remained steadfast: to create a world where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered.

Looking Ahead

As we move into 2025, we are uplifted by the progress we’ve made and inspired by the possibilities ahead. There is still much to do, but we are confident that, with your continued support, we can expand our reach, deepen our impact, and build a society where dignity and freedom are not privileges but birthrights.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’ve volunteered your time, donated resources, shared our story, or simply cheered us on, you are an essential part of this movement. Let’s keep going, together.

Today, the last day of 2024, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to any of our initiatives. It’s through your generosity and support that we can keep doing this powerful work where we are all filled up and nourished together.

Click Here To Donate

With gratitude,
Caryn Roth
Executive Director, Unconditional Freedom

Caryn Roth is The Executive Director of Unconditional Freedom. Caryn started working with nonprofits and food from a young age, raising money for the American Cancer Society when a close friend was diagnosed with cancer by organizing a massive bake sale with her friends. She started Challah for Hunger at UCLA and has been heavily involved in her nonprofit and professional work focused on food access, nutrition, health and data science. She started the Free Food program in the Tenderloin in San Francisco in 2019.