Press
CNN HEROES
“Our goal is to create a community-rooted food system -- from where the food is grown to how it gets to families' homes. And every step of the way in between, we need to make sure that there's equity. That includes our staff and our team doing this work. It didn't make sense for us to build an organization where we have executives who are getting paid top-dollar. So, everybody on our team gets paid $20 an hour. Some of us work more or less hours than others. But the pay rate is the same. And when we get a raise, we all get a raise together.
My hope is that this work provides a model of doing things differently -- for communities all over to be able to see what we're doing and realize that it's possible and we don't have to do things business-as-usual.”
"The majority of people who are working in restaurants are living paycheck to paycheck. It is largely made up of an immigrant community as well. So, a lot of individuals don't qualify for unemployment benefits. We knew that people were in dire need. When I say in a week's time my fridge is going to be empty, that was literally the position people were in."
"Fast-forward to May 2022, Connected Chef is delivering free bags of produce and grains to more than 550 families each week. The organization doesn't turn anyone away but focuses mainly on supporting struggling immigrant families who have been put out of work due to the pandemic or those who are excluded from unemployment benefits."
"On Monday, City Council Member Tiffany Cabán announced the eight winners of her office's participatory budgeting program, which gave residents the chance to decide how to spend about $1 million on neighborhood projects."
“We started going to supermarkets to buy fresh produce for our friends. We began to bring the food to places throughout Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn, the idea just grew from there..."
"The Connected Chef hopes to reach 160 monthly sponsorships which would give them an additional $4,000 in funding for groceries. The Connected Chef spends about $9,000 a week to maintain their work, which includes groceries and paying their staff of 11 people."
"Federal programming and food related policies are often dictated by large, industrial farming companies and are provided as a bandaid to a major social issue. It is now my goal to build a new model, a new choice. We are working with other grassroots and community-based groups to build a supply chain that goes directly from local farmers to households across NYC. This new avenue of food access and distribution will provide quality, nutrient-dense groceries with integrity."
"Many of the original volunteers were chefs or other restaurant workers, people who disproportionately lost jobs at the start of the pandemic. Lifeline Groceries began as an initiative to provide fresh foods to these households and families during the pandemic, and The Connected Chef has grown to serve over 700 families every week."
"We want to expand, spread the word and gain continued funding to be able to do so. It’s beautiful to see how our community has come together, but they’re also strained. We need to make sure people who have the money actually give it."
"BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 Survey for Best Organizations or Causes to Contribute To."
“Astorians have long wondered why their neighborhood lacks a solid greenmarket. Now, residents have teamed up to make the dream a reality.” “...the new farmstand will be different in one key respect: Connected Chef organizers have designed a sliding-scale model, in which produce will be sold at discounted prices for those who need it, or at a higher, market price for those who can afford to pay.”
"...Hellgate Farm and The Connected Chef, who have been advising on how the roof could become converted into a model farm, food distribution center, and recreational event space. It’s not that we can completely solve our food shortage problems by creating rooftop farms; this is more going to be a place where people connect to community through the idea of farming.”