Unpronounceable
I felt a simple easeful connection with this stranger who also spends his time feeding people. I also admired his simple confidence that he could rely on others to randomly help him.
… And I Got a Cat
Sometimes my life feels like a feral cat. I feel beat up, my feet and body feel sore, and yet there’s still more to do. And sometimes if I have enough loving and patient attention, life can curl up beside me and things can change beyond my expectations.
Video: Food Pantry Testimonial
“We rescued all this food from Baldor, one of the major food distributors in New York City. They give us about two metric tons worth of produce for free. It fills our Free Food van front to back, floor to ceiling…”
Free Food Ukiah Video
Our weekly Free Food Ukiah meal in Northern California, transforming the outdoor area of the Building Bridges homeless shelter into a sit-down restaurant for residents and local community.
Attitude of Addiction
During this past year-and-a-half of volunteering with Free Food Harlem, I had the opportunity to focus the impetus of my addictive and rebellious nature into cooking community meals, teaching kitchen skills training, facilitating AOS classes, and writing. Instead of seeking immediate relief through self-soothing addictive behaviors and destructive pursuits, I got more of me.
The Free Food Harlem Side of Penitence
When I was younger, I didn’t realize what I was asking for was to be meeked, to find a place for the wildness I felt and not be broken of it. The Exodus and Housing Works Transition program participants are also looking for a place to put their wildness that doesn’t cause harm.
Alchemy
As the chef for a nonprofit that relies entirely on volunteers, I’ve had to learn how to motivate and inspire others instead of resorting to the harsh and intimidating treatment I received as a young and eager cook.
The Changing Face of Free Food Harlem
We’ve shifted from a group of people making food for the local underserved community, to a group that is the community.
Harlem Shuffle
To say this place is a melting pot is not only an understatement, it’s a lie. Harlem is the unapologetic deep cauldron of Black culture in America.
Circulating Love
From the outside, it could seem like putting together meals is simply a good deed — an event that good people do with their extra time. But for me, I experience it as an act of self-serving generosity.
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