2023 SUMMER IMPACT REPORT
CELEBRATING
COMMUNITY
At Rethink Food, community is central to achieving our mission. The community-based organizations (CBOs) and restaurants we work with know that it takes a team to provide nourishing food day in & day out—thanks to the support of 54 restaurant partners in Q2 2023, 80% of which are minority- or women-owned/led businesses, we provided 886,429 meals to 73 CBOs, at no cost to communities.
Kitchen by kitchen, block by block, Rethink Food’s community shows up every day with a shared sense of purpose—backed by action. We are continually amazed at partners such as BEATSTRO (recently featured in the NEW YORK TIMES), who hire 85% locally within the Bronx and have grown their operation and impact in their partnership with Rethink Food.
Our work in our home city has never been more important. Food insecurity is expected to increase as 2023 continues, and recent data suggests that food inflation is outpacing all other inflation. A survey of SNAP users from January 2023 showed that “29% had skipped meals, nearly a third had eaten less to manage food costs, and almost a quarter had visited a food bank.” The need is growing, and economic realities and reduction in SNAP assistance are placing strain on all our partners—yet they continue to show up to do this important work every day. With our donors, advocates, volunteers, and supporters, we must bring all resources to the table to help. If you’d like to get involved, please reach out.
With your support and partnership, we will continue to provide nourishing meals in ways that serve local communities by local communities. Thank you to the entire Rethink Food network for joining us.
HIGHLIGHT
Rethink Food x McKinsey & Company
The impact of addressing food insecurity via locally owned Restaurants
In partnership with MCKINSEY & CO. we developed a report that examines the economic, social, and environmental impact of Rethink Food’s work with local restaurants in NYC.
Compared to alternate models of engaging large catering companies to provide meals at scale, Rethink Food's model has a greater economic impact on local communities and small businesses, including:
A higher share of local spending.
A higher share of spend with other SMBs.
Increased employment generated per week.
The findings from the report will help us further guide program development and contribute to conversations with stakeholders addressing food insecurity. Read the full report here.
RESTAURANTS
Building hyperlocal connections
Rethink Food strives to support local connections. Most restaurants that make meals for our CBO partners are located less than three miles away. This cuts down on environmental costs (fuel, emissions) and ensures that meals are coming directly from their community. Each restaurant we work with offers culinary expertise, nutrition, and cultural relevance in their meals, providing dignity and flavor to those facing food insecurity.
Q2 IMPACT
886,429 MEALS
54 restaurants + 73 CBOs
From neighborhood cafes to Michelin-starred restaurants, Rethink Food aims to build capacity and strengthen small businesses, 80% of which are minority- or women-owned/led (MWO/LB).
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CONNECTING OUR NETWORK IN BROOKLYN: LOS SURES
Starting May 29, Rethink Food matched community-based organization LOS SURES with two longtime meal-making restaurants, TACOMBI WILLIAMSBURG and ZAAB ZAAB. Both are located six blocks away, providing:
• Culturally-celebrated meals that offer variety + directly serve the surrounding community, provided by two acclaimed local restaurants
• Close proximity = less time between destinations + less environmental footprint
• Zaab Zaab was able to consolidate delivery routes by picking up Tacombi’s meals to deliver to Los Sures, enabling higher efficiency with less environmental impact.
Los Sures serves primarily LatinX communities in Williamsburg, north Brooklyn and sees the need for nourishing meals each week, with lines often stretching around the block. Since the partnership began in Feb. 2023, Rethink Food has provided 500 meals to Los Sures every week.
Thanks to all three partners for this incredible work.
*Pictured above: Zaab Zaab co-owner Pei Wei in the Williamsburg kitchen.
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EXPANDING MIAMI NETWORK WITH THE RIVER OYSTER BAR
We’re proud to increase our level of regional support to alleviate food insecurity through our self-sustaining model in Miami.
In April, Rethink Food celebrated MIAMI RIVER OYSTER BAR to its fundraising restaurants. The River Oyster Bar offers an opt-in match donation — when diners donate 0.5% on their check, River Oyster Bar matches the 0.5%, totaling a 1% donation to Rethink. Thank you to Miami River Oyster Bar for continuing to grow our efforts to alleviate food insecurity locally in Miami!
They are joining a well established local partnership with THE GENUINE HOSPITALITY GROUP which in 2023 alone has raised $265,000+ through restaurants AMARA and MICHAEL’S GENUINE—funding 53,000+ meals for food-insecure individuals and families in Miami-Dade county.
For Q2, Rethink Food’s Miami network provided 24,375 meals to local communities, averaging ~2000 meals per week, with 6 restaurants serving 6 nearby CBOs.
*Pictured above: Miami meal-making restaurant Le Jardin owner Myreille Joseph and team
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RAPID RESPONSE FOR SPECIAL MEAL REQUESTS
Throughout the year, Rethink Food participates in special meal requests, from cultural celebrations to needs that arise during emergencies.
• Partnering with local government to fund emergency response: In partnership with NYC Council Member Amanda Farias’s office, Rethink worked with restaurant partner MARINA DEL RAY to provide fresh meals to Bronx NYCHA residents affected by a local fire. Rethink provided 300 meals meals/day (150 lunch / 150 dinner) from June 13–16 to the Bronx River Community Center, customized to be culturally relevant for the LatinX population.
• Providing emergency meals after a gas leak: In early June, Bowery Mission was left unable to prepare meals. Rethink Food provided 300 meals from Tacombi and 600 meals from Agape Food Rescue beyond regular meal deliveries.
• Ramadan meals for Bronx Borough President's Iftar dinner, provided by Brain Food: Mahnoor Jaura wrote: “…wanted to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude for your support and participation in making last night’s Iftar a successful one, we could not have done it without you. The food was absolutely amazing… tons of folks inquired where the food came from and could not praise it enough."
WHAT MAKES A MEAL?
MENU HIGHLIGHTS FROM CBO PARTNER AGAPE FOOD RESCUE
Our partners at CBO Agape Food Rescue know food. In addition to providing fresh, nourishing meals to the neighborhood of Brownsville, Agape has a team of in-house chefs that prepare fresh meals for the community. Led by JEANETTE LUGO, Agape has provided 32,800 meals in 2023 in partnership with Rethink Food. With a reliable supply of donations, Agape has been able to utilize perfectly good donated food into its meals, lowering the cost and environmental impact of each meal served. Rethink Food recently partnered its Agape meal-making program with CBO New Hope Family Worship Center to provide fresh meals to another Brooklyn CBO. The two had worked together but never before with Rethink Food meals — these collaborations keep our community connected and more resilient, with the ability to share and promote shared missions.
Recent meal menus from Agape include:
Mashed potatoes, string beans, pepper steak
BBQ wings, red potatoes, asparagus
Turkey patties and mixed vegetables with rice
Cornish hens with black beans and rice
Turkey lasagna with garlic bread
Pulled chicken with Brussels sprouts… and more
To read more on Jeanette and Agape Food Rescue, visit our blog.
Q2 IMPACT
154,950.8 lbs of food rescued
44 food donation partners
387,377 lbs of CO2 diverted
3,563,868.4 gals of fresh water saved
SUSTAINABILITY
Through sustainability services, corporate partnerships, and excess food pickups, Rethink Food transforms food that would otherwise go to landfill/combustion into nutrient-dense meals. Our sustainable commissary kitchen receives thousands of pounds of excess and donated food each week, transforming it into freshly-prepared, nourishing meals.
130,697 meals from donated + excess food
11 CBOs in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens
To learn more about our commissary kitchen’s ethos and operations, check out the CULINARY TEAM PLAYBOOK.
FOCUS ON THE COMMISSARY KITCHEN
Culinary Director KEN BAKER was named to CUNY’s 40 UNDER 40: RISING STARS IN NYC FOOD POLICY, celebrated with a ceremony on June 8th. Congratulations to chef Ken as well as Rethink Food partner organization leaders SHAYNA MCCORMICK (RAP4BRONX) and SUSANA CAMARENA (TACOMBI) for being named to the list! Read more here.
PROJECT RENEWAL VISIT MAY 2023
Rethink Food’s culinary team visited Project Renewal’s City Beats Kitchen in which Rethink PR Alumni shared testimonials from the program and how it prepared them to join Rethink. From culinary director Ken: “The class prepared a beautiful breakfast spread for us including a MTO omelette bar. Take note of the quote on their aprons:
‘We are all equal in the eyes of the stove’ - Jacques Pépin”
ADVOCACY
Rethink Food works to bridge gaps between the emergency food space, private sector food service, nonprofits and the hospitality industry, bringing a multi-pronged approach to address systemic issues: food access, food waste, and supporting small businesses that together have ripple effects within their communities.
Rethink Food team with Rep. Jim McGovern at the National Anti-Hunger Policy conference hosted by Food Research and Action Center in Washington D.C., May 2023.
Q2 HIGHLIGHTS
In April, Rethink Food testified in front of the following NY City Council forums:
Immigration & Governmental Operations Committee Oversight Hearing: Meeting the Needs of Asylum Seekers in New York City
Black, Latino and Asian Caucus Presentation
General Welfare Committee Oversight Hearing: Food Insecurity in New York City
In May, Rethink Food met with REP. JIM MCGOVERN (MA-02) to discuss Rethink's progress and continued work aiding asylum seekers. Rethink also met with the White House Office of Public Engagement as a follow-up to the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger Nutrition and Health.
Rethink Food joined the ZERO WASTE FOOD COALITION in June, led by the NRDC, WWF, Harvard Food Policy Clinic, & REFED. This coalition brings together food systems stakeholders on a mission to reduce food waste in our supply chain and advocate to state + federal legislative bodies.
FY24 BUDGET REQUEST
Thank you to REP. DAN GOLDMAN (NY-10) for including Rethink Food in a Fiscal Year 2024 budget request to expand its fleet with two additional refrigerated trucks to safely preserve and distribute fresh meals throughout NYC.
Read the press release here.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
On April 6, Rethink Food was thrilled to celebrate The Relief Access Program for The Bronx aka RAP4BRONX, a nonprofit building bridges for communities to access sustainably healthy futures. The evening celebrated all the work accomplished by RAP4BRONX, the Skyline Charitable Foundation, and their partner organizations. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rap4Bronx has evolved into a substantial operator within the food relief community, serving 2M+ meals in the Bronx. In Q2, Rethink Food funded 17,800 meals for Rap4Bronx, prepared by 4 local Bronx restaurants.
MANHATTAN WEST
FOOD FESTIVAL
PARTNER HIGHLIGHT
RAP4BRONX
PRIDE: THE BRUNCH
+ PRIDE FEST
We hosted a booth at the first ever MW food fest June 14–15 and picked up all excess food from the festival, making this a zero excess event. We handed out exclusive upcycled bites made by our commissary kitchen and invited guests to join the mission + donate meals. Thank you to BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES for hosting us and donating all beverage tent proceeds to RETHINK.
Rethink Food celebrated this year’s NYC PRIDE with a special appearance at PRIDE: THE BRUNCH and PRIDE FEST. Our culinary director chef KEN BAKER was one of four chefs featured at this year’s Brunch. Chef Ken was honored for culinary excellence in the LGBTQIA+ community and provided an exclusive dish “Rethinking Shepherd’s Pie” for guests.
On June 25, the team brought the Rethink Food truck to Pride FoodFest where we hosted a booth inviting people to donate and get involved.
EARTH MONTH
EVENT + VOLUNTEERS
Rethink Food hosts volunteers throughout the year — Q2 highlights included volunteering at Union Pool + New Hope Family Worship Center. For EARTH MONTH, we invited a group from the Rethink Network young professionals group to volunteer at Bowery Mission.
Also in April, Rethink Food hosted a table at CITIZENS FOOD HALL at MANHATTAN WEST in honor of Earth Month.
MOVING FORWARD, TOGETHER
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
We anticipate that food hardship will continue to increase as the country grapples with an inflationary economy and lasting supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Expanding this critical work requires continued support and partnership. Please join us in continuing to alleviate food insecurity with solutions that strengthen community bonds, build resilience, and grow capacity for small businesses. Thank you to our supporters for providing dignified, nourishing meals to those so urgently in need. The meals we provide to communities are directly related to the support we receive.