Since 2015, our neighbors at Google.org have been committed to ending food insecurity in New York City through their support of the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. When Google moved to Chelsea, they joined forces with us to learn about the food landscape in the local community, including how food insecurity and poverty affect the lives not only of Chelsea residents, but of New Yorkers from all 5 boroughs who visit Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen.
Kim Huskey, a leader of Google’s internal food program, remembers being struck by the volume of food provided to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, as well as the number of working-class families in need of steady meals. Bringing people together through food is a core value of Google’s food program and by supporting the Soup Kitchen, Google.org has extended that value into the broader Chelsea community and beyond.
As friends of the Soup Kitchen, Googlers have spent hundreds of hours volunteering at the Soup Kitchen. They’ve also been a steady and reliable source of food donations, enabling us to keep our costs low while also supporting our efforts to reduce food waste and promote sustainability. Additionally, Chef Frank Tujague, the Executive Chef at Restaurant Associates at Google, is the chair of our Culinary Committee and works to engage culinary figures with our mission. And of course, they couple all their volunteerism and in-kind food donations with much-needed financial support to keep our operations going.
Most recently, Google.org challenged our community to match their commitment of $50,000 to our meal and social services programs. Their matching gift challenge prompted us to launch our inaugural Virtual Food Drive to secure the resources needed to sustain our programming in the summer, when donations tend to be at their lowest. While we are only halfway through 2021, we have already served over 880,000 meals across our three meal programs. Funds raised through the Virtual Food Drive are crucial to meeting community needs throughout the rest of the year.
To help us reach Google.org’s Match Challenge, please consider donating to our Virtual Food Drive. We’re just $8,000 away from our goal and every dollar you donate will be matched by Google.org. Your support means the world to our guests and your generosity will help feed New Yorkers in need this summer.
