Provide Emergency Nourishment for Chinatown Elders

Starting November 1st, SNAP cuts are deeply affecting communities across the U.S., including the many Asian American older adults in our community losing access to this lifeline that once helped them afford basic groceries each month. Many are suddenly faced with the heartbreaking choice between paying rent or buying food.

To fill this urgent gap, Heart of Dinner has teamed up with local community org, CAAAV, to provide weekly care packages through the end of the year for 110 additional Elders newly impacted by these cuts. Each care package includes culturally thoughtful groceries and freshly prepared lunchboxes, lovingly packed in Heart of Dinner's signature hand-decorated bags with handwritten notes in our Elders’ native languages. These details remind our Elders that they are loved.

This urgent initiative operates alongside our ongoing weekly program serving 700 Elders across NYC which is supported through separate funding (many of whom have also lost SNAP benefits or were never able to receive them to begin with). Your contribution through this page directly sustains this emergency bridge effort allowing Heart of Dinner to provide immediate nourishment, warmth, and community connection to the 110 Elders in Chinatown as their food benefits disappear.

WHAT YOUR GIFT MAKES POSSIBLE

The 110 older adult members identified by CAAAV are longtime Chinatown tenants and retired workers who are now facing food insecurity because of the SNAP cuts. While CAAAV continues its vital community organizing and housing advocacy work, Heart of Dinner is teaming up with them to make sure these Elders receive weekly groceries and a freshly prepared lunchbox every Wednesday through November and December so no one is left without nourishment or care.

Each Heart of Dinner care package offers an average of 3-4 days' worth of nourishing meals, filled with nutrient-rich ingredients, a handwritten love note in the Elder’s native language, and bright, uplifting artwork on every decorated bag as a reminder that they are seen and cared for by their community.

• $30 → One week of groceries + lunchbox for 1 Elder
• $120 → One month of care for 1 Elder
• $3,300 → One Wednesday of care packages (110 Elders)
• $13,200 → All of November for all 110 Elders (groceries + lunchboxes every week)
• $29,700* → Full program all of November through December (groceries + lunchboxes every week)

*If we’re able to raise beyond our goal, your generosity will continue nourishing Elders beyond this emergency effort. Extra funds will help sustain Heart of Dinner’s ongoing weekly deliveries for 700 Elders across NYC or allow us to expand support to additional Asian American older adults who may lose their SNAP benefits in the months ahead. No matter the amount, every dollar you give directly nourishes and uplifts our Elders with love and care.

Local Small Businesses: From day one, Heart of Dinner built a sustainable model that purchases every lunchbox and all groceries from local businesses with the goal of nourishing our Elders while also supporting the local restaurants, distributors, and farmers our NYC neighborhoods rely on. For this short-term emergency care effort, we’re also welcoming donated lunchboxes that follow our Heart of Dinner Prepared Lunchbox Guidelines, so we can respond quickly while continuing to uplift our community. If you’re a restaurant or caterer who’d love to be part of this effort (whether for one Wednesday (110 lunchboxes) or all nine Wednesdays through the end of the year), please reach out to us at HELLO[AT]HEARTOFDINNER[DOT]ORG.

For those who may not be able to give right now, there are other ways to help:

• We are in need of 990 love notes in SIMPLIFIED CHINESE by Monday, November 10. (Phrases like “我们爱您!” / We love you!) Please click here to carefully follow our note-writing guidelines to nourish our Elders with the most uplifting notes! Be sure to fill out the accompanying submission slip + note down that it's for this initiative.
• We are in need of 990 decorated bags by Monday, November 10 with bright, vibrant art to bring joy to the Elders during this time. Please click here to carefully follow our bag decorating guidelines. Kindly keep in mind that many of our Elders save and collect Heart of Dinner bags, looking at them throughout the week to feel happiness and a little less alone. Be sure to fill out the accompanying submission slip + note down that it's for this initiative.

Thank you for helping us nourish Elders and keep care flowing through our communities.