Celebrating Black History through Art

Chef Max Hardy has been a friend of Food Bank's for over seven years. He's been a volunteer, a supporter, a member of the Food Bank Culinary Council, and even served as an interim Director in our Community Kitchen in Harlem while it was undergoing renovations. To say that he's made an indelible mark on our mission to fight food insecurity across New York City would be quite the understatement. To learn more about the talented chef, we chatted with him about his approach to cooking and service as well as what Black History Month means to him. Check out the conversation below! What, for you, is the magic of food? For me, the magic is all about seeing people smile while they enjoy their food. Simple acts like cooking and baking bread bring people together in such a special way. My mom is Bahamian, and I have so many fun memories of us cooking together. Do you have a favorite meal memory? I definitely have a favorite career memory as a chef! I was interviewing for a Kosher catering company and they asked me to do a cooking demo for 3 Rabbis at a synagogue. They gave me a bunch of ingredients and asked me to make Matzah Ball Soup, but I had never made Matzah Ball Soup before. So, I get the Matzah meal and started to make the balls the way I would make a hushpuppy, which is totally the wrong way! I’m making my soup broth and folding my egg whites into the Matzah meal, and everything looks great when I end up serving the dish to the Rabbis. Afterward, they came into the kitchen and asked to see how I made the Matzah Balls because they knew they were wrong, but they still tasted delicious. One of the Rabbis took a Matzah Ball in his hand and threw it against the wall and it splattered and he said anytime it does that, it’s a good Matzah Ball! I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but I made it work, and it's still one of my fondest chef memories ever. How can folks use food to do good? This question makes me think of Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem. Everyone in the neighborhood knows everyone there. One of the things we try to do at Food Bank is challenge the stigma about what it’s like going to a soup kitchen. It should feel like going to the grocery store, like going to any other place in the community. I said it earlier, but there really is something powerful about using food to bring people together. What does Black History Month mean to you? I keep saying community, but that’s what it is, right? For Black History Month, seeing the struggles that African Americans have been through and then to be an African American chef and be able to show how we have influenced food culture is important to me. I think of this month like any other month, it’s always important to show the work of African American chefs in the food and beverage industry. Lastly... if your bodega named a sandwich after you, what would it be called and what would it be? “The Busy Boss” and it would have crispy chicken tenders, spicy Caribbean slaw, and a guava spicy BBQ sauce on a toasted brioche bun. For more stories from chefs on the ground, make sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

April is Global Volunteer Month, a time for us to celebrate the Food Bank volunteers who devote their time and energy to our mission of empowering every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Each volunteer has played an indispensable role in serving our neighbors and building a stronger, healthier community for all of us. Our Food Bank volunteers are amazing! Click here to join our volunteer community. A member of our Food Bank Junior Board greets a client at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem. Reflecting on a Year of Volunteerism Over the past year, our volunteers have embarked on inspiring journeys, fearlessly taking on the challenges our community faces. The impact of their commitment can be felt across every borough of our amazing city. A Food Bank volunteer greets New Yorkers at a Mobile Pantry distribution. Whether it was packing boxes of nutritious meals for seniors at our Warehouse, distributing groceries to Harlemites from our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry, or packing personal hygiene kits at home, our volunteers have made a difference in the lives of food insecure New Yorkers. Because of their dedication, families have found hope in times of hardship, and individuals have felt the warmth of a caring community around them. Food Bank volunteers packing food at our Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. We’re excited to share the extraordinary milestones we have hit together: Since February 2023, 7,662 volunteers have served 23,502 hours, translating to $742,663 in value to Food Bank's mission. On March 25, we re-engaged volunteers in our Senior Lunch Service and Community Meal programs for the first time since March 2020. From Food Bank’s Community Pantry, volunteers helped serve 38,957 households. Volunteers at Food Bank’s Warehouse & Distribution Center packed 953,056 pounds of food, converting to 779,595 meals. Additionally, Food Bank’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers have processed more than 3,000 tax returns, helping to put over $5,720,000 in tax refunds back into the pockets of New Yorkers already this year. Food Bank volunteers celebrate the end of a packing shift at our Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. The Power of Volunteering and Encouragement for the Future Volunteering is the heart of our organization, and its power to bring about transformative change is undeniable. We invite each member of our Food Bank community to consider the profound impact they can make by joining us on this incredible journey. If you're ready to join us in empowering our neighbors to achieve food security for good, click here. There, you’ll learn more about our various volunteering opportunities and how YOU can become part of our volunteer family. A smiling volunteer at our Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. Thank you to all of our volunteers for your service, determination, and compassion. Together, we are transforming lives and making progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for ALL New Yorkers. We are so thankful to volunteers who help power our mission every day. Click here to join us on the ground as a Food Bank volunteer!

As a Georgia transplant living in NYC, Hayley Kahn found herself in a city where seeing people struggle with hunger was just a part of the daily commute. Hayley knew that she wanted to make a difference. So, she joined the Food Bank For New York City Junior Board in 2019 as a way to engage with her new community. Shortly after, Hayley founded The Supper Series, a speaker series in which she chats with female entrepreneurs in the culinary space to raise money for Food Bank. We took a few moments to sit down with Hayley and talk with her about her connection to food and why she's so passionate about fighting hunger across the five boroughs. What inspired you to start The Supper Series? I am so appreciative of how food brings people together. It makes me feel connected to people, it’s where I connect with people. Food allows me to feel deeply seen and loved, like I’m a whole human. Moving to New York made me realize that this is a very luxurious relationship to have with food, and that’s not the case for everyone around me. I had always been passionate about food and cognizant of the realities of food insecurity, but in New York City, I came face-to-face with it for the first time. The Supper Series is my way of giving back to the local community while supporting a mission I’m deeply passionate about— the fight against hunger within the five boroughs. What is your favorite memory from all of your Supper Series events? My favorite one has to be from this past May. I hosted a virtual Supper Series with Food Network Chef and Food Bank Board Member Katie Lee Biegel and I had the incredible pleasure of cooking a recipe alongside Katie from her new cookbook, It’s Not Complicated, live on Zoom (pictured below). My lifelong dream is to be a Food Network chef so this was everything. It was so much fun! Most importantly, we raised more than $20,000 in one night, which equated to 100,000 meals! I couldn’t fall asleep that night because I was still buzzing from the event. What would you say to other young people looking to get involved with Food Bank For New York City? I would really encourage everyone to find their own unique way to make a difference. Don’t limit yourself to thinking that community involvement only looks one way. I founded The Supper Series because I believe that many more people, especially young professionals, can get involved — but we need to redefine what that looks like. The Supper Series was born out of this idea that you can be a part of something and be giving back while also pouring into yourself. What is your favorite meal memory? One of my favorite food memories is from visiting my grandparents in Mobile, Alabama when I was child. Every morning, my grandma would fill the kitchen table with endless rounds of delicious butter bagels and a spread of every flavor of jam imaginable. While the bagels were delicious, what was even more special was how our entire family started the day together and sat around that table for hours. If your bodega named a sandwich after you, what would it be called and what would it be made of? So, I’m an ice cream lover — we served ice cream sandwiches at our engagement party and are looking to do an ice cream wedding cake! So, I’m going to have to go with The Hayley: a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich with vanilla soft serve ice cream, swirls of Dulce de Leche, and sprinkles of sea salt, half dipped in chocolate. This past November, The Supper Series was named Silver Winner in the Shorty Awards, which celebrates the positive social media impact that brands, agencies, and non-profits have on society. Hayley continues to uplift female voices within the culinary space on each and every one of her Supper Series events. For more information on The Supper Series, check out @thesupperseries and @foodbank4nyc to stay in the loop for any and all upcoming events.