Nothing Stops Rafaela

In honor of Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are celebrating Food Bank member agencies that uplift and serve our AAPI neighbors across the five boroughs. One of these agencies is the Center for Family Life, which operates in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The Center was originally established in the late 1970s to support families in the neighborhood, the majority of whom were Spanish-speaking. Flash forward several decades, and while the Center and its mission have stayed intact, they've evolved to serve a new demographic — Mandarin-speaking New Yorkers, who now make up half of the community population. To reach these new neighbors, the Center for Family Life not only adapted its programming, but innovated solutions to empower them with the food, services, and specific resources they need to thrive. See how in our interview below, which covers the power of translation, the importance of person-to-person outreach, and a scamming problem plaguing Brooklynites in Sunset Park. A Center for Family Life community member receiving fresh radishes and eggs at a distribution. When and why were you first established? How has your mission changed to serve New Yorkers today? Cathy Vargas, Community Services Program Director: The Center was established in the 70s and 80s in New York City, so there was a lot going on *laughs*. Our approach has always been very tied to the neighborhood and originally began with a focus on family counseling. Since then, we've grown and become well known here in the neighborhood. Instead of expanding our services out, we've expanded our services deeper into our community. We now have an after-school program; two neighborhood centers; an enrichment center; a food pantry; benefits access, legal aid, and adult employment services; ESOL classes, work readiness programs... pretty much a one stop shop for everyone. When we started, we were primarily Spanish-speaking, but as we saw the AAPI community grow here in Sunset Park, our clientele became evenly split between those who speak Spanish and those who speak Mandarin. We started incorporating more staff and case planners into our work and now almost everyone here is bilingual, either with English/Spanish or English/Mandarin. Visitors to the Center are growing, thanks to rising grocery prices and an influx of newly arrived New Yorkers to the neighborhood. What are some of the unique struggles faced by the AAPI New Yorkers you serve? Tenzin Dhadon, Benefit Enroller: Many of our AAPI neighbors don't realize there are benefit services they can access for free. A coworker and I started going out to Sunset Park itself and approaching community members to let them know that they can come to us for food and help accessing things like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We learned that there were a lot of scammers in the neighborhood telling folks that they had to pay for these services, which is not true. We've been able to build trust with AAPI families in the neighborhood, who now come to us for food and benefit enrollment and other services. Even the small thing of being able to read a letter, provide a simple translation for folks... it makes a huge difference. The person-to-person approach has really helped us spread the word about what we do. Fresh produce is a staple of the Center, as are a plethora of other services designed to empower its neighbors. What has it been like to greet new families and faces at the Center? Leomaris Fernandez, Food Pantry Supervisor: As more Mandarin-speaking neighbors started coming to us, I tried using some of the language on the line. Google translate was my best friend! *laughs*. When you're asking for their name, number, or how they're doing and you're speaking their language, folks cry, laugh, they want to hug you... that's how we started getting our regulars. When you don't know the language and you're trying to get food, it can be really scary. Then here comes this little Spanish girl speaking to you in Mandarin and it's this moment of "Wow, she knows how to ask me what I need." Sunset Park is still a large Hispanic community, so some of our clients are even trying to learn a little Spanish. Tenzin: Le had a Mandarin-speaking client who also happened to speak Spanish, so they worked together to communicate with our other neighbors. The truth is that we lean on our clients for support, too. Food distributions happen every day at the Center for Family Life, with special distributions for older New Yorkers and newly arrived families. How do you stay motivated to serve your community, even through all its changes? Cathy: For Le and I, we grew up in the neighborhood, we’re kind of used to it. When we see families that are paying for benefits, we get angry, we go "No, we're not doing that!" When we see newly arrived kids without jackets, we're parents, we're going to figure that out, we're going to help this community, our community, in any way possible. Sunset Park has always been an immigrant community and though those populations might change over time, we are first and foremost a community of mutual aid. If we can't figure it out, we figure it out. We are beyond humbled to partner with and provide food to community-based organizations like Center for Family Life that are doing the work to empower their neighbors with the food, resources, and services they need to thrive. Click here to learn more about and support these vital organizations.

When Food Bank Junior Board member Julia Lichtenstein was planning her baby shower, she knew she wanted to give back to her community. So instead of having her guests bring gifts, she asked them to donate diapers to Food Bank For New York City instead. And the response was overwhelming – Julia's friends and family donated over 1,500 diapers, which she then dropped off at our Community Kitchen & Food Pantry in Harlem! To learn more about how Julia turned her private celebration into a celebration of giving back to families in our community, read our recent interview with her below! Julia and her newborn. How long have you been involved with Food Bank and what inspires you to stay connected to our mission? I've been supporting Food Bank since my now husband did a fundraiser for his birthday many years ago. As I learned more about Food Bank over the years, I knew I wanted to become more actively involved, and I joined the Junior Board in 2023. I'm consistently amazed by the work Food Bank does to connect New Yorkers in need not only with necessary nutritious food but also critical services like tax preparation to get much needed refunds. Where did the idea for a diaper collection come from? Through my work on the Junior Board, I learned about the Woman to Woman campaign which, conveniently, was active during the same month I planned to hold my baby shower. I wanted to amplify the campaign's goal of connecting women with baby supplies, the cost of which can often be a strain on many households. Were any of your guests surprised to learn that Food Bank provides New Yorkers with resources like diapers? Many of my guests did not realize that Food Bank accepts donations of hygiene products like diapers. I was excited to spread the word that Food Bank is not just about food! There are so many ways that the Food Bank works to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good. Do you have any tips for New Yorkers looking to engage their communities in acts of giving like this? One of the best parts of working with Food Bank is how simple it can be to make an impact on the community. The guests at my baby shower collectively amassed 1,500 diapers and it was easy to do! Many of the products that Food Bank needs--like pantry staples or personal care products--only require a quick trip to the grocery or drug store. I took the donations uptown to Food Bank the next day and the diapers were distributed to clients right away. My diaper drive is just one example of the many easy ways New Yorkers can gather their communities to collect easy-to-find items and get them into hands that need them. What are some memorable moments you've had while serving with Food Bank? One of my most memorable experiences was spending the day with Leslie Gordon, Food Bank’s President and CEO, and other Food Bank volunteers hearing from Leslie about her many years of work as a food banker and seeing firsthand the operations that keep Food Bank running. It was on that tour that Leslie mentioned that diapers could be among the most expensive personal care items that a household needs and can be a significant financial strain for parents with little ones at home. I did not have children at the time, but her remark stuck with me as I started to grow my family and I knew I wanted to help lighten that burden in whatever small way I could. And finally, what excites you most about motherhood? Think we might get to meet the little one at a distribution someday? The most exciting thing about motherhood is watching your child start to see the world around them. Children bring a fresh sense of wonder and joy that those of us who have been here a bit longer sometimes lose sight of. I can't wait to bring my daughter to a Food Bank volunteer event when she is old enough! I hope to teach her from a young age the importance of being involved in the community around you and lending a hand in whatever way you can. 1,500 Diapers were donated to Food Bank from Julia's Baby Shower. We are so grateful for Julia’s generosity and her contribution to families in New York City. Interested in getting involved? Food Bank can help you make an impact on your special day. Click here to launch your own fundraiser for Food Bank!

Elizabeth Romano is the Senior Director of Operations at Food Bank For New York City's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. Each day, she shows up early and leaves late to make sure life-changing produce, hygiene products, and shelf-stable goods reach the homes of those who need them most. Help us get period products, hygiene essentials, and childcare resources to women and girls in need! Elizabeth Romano at Food Bank's Warehouse & Distribution Center in the Bronx. When Liz was growing up with five siblings in the Bronx, that home was her own, and she recalls waiting on long pantry lines with her mother to get food for their family. But at the time, she didn't even realize that's what they were doing, as the pantry workers always treated them with such warmth, dignity, and respect. Elizabeth with her younger siblings. Now, Liz gets to return that energy right back to the city she loves. "At the end of the night, I know that our work helped feed somebody today," she told us. "Our donors help any sibling that has to go out and stand in a pantry line with their parent... it can be anything that changes your life." Hit play and meet Liz below: Join us in celebrating the women we serve and those who power our mission every day at this link. Together, we can make progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for ALL.