Reflections with Agape
There is never a dull moment at Agape Food Rescue. Situated in Brownsville, Agape Food Rescue is a volunteer-powered, grassroots non-profit that organizes direct action projects such as Neighbors Helping Neighbors initiative - an outreach for seniors and homebound ENY residents, a mobile pantry service for NYCHA residents (aptly named The Breaking Bread project), and a slew of community fridges - dedicated to providing food for any resident in need.
Their mission is to instill hope into individuals impacted by social disadvantages - through programs that provide food, promote the value of nutrition, increase self-sufficiency, and create lasting community connections. In doing so, Agape Food Rescue with the help of dedicated volunteers, creates a food relief system that has an enduring impact that extends generations. Agape has been partnered with Rethink Food since the summer of 2021 - and, through our work together, have distributed over 60,000 meals through their programming. A key figure in this relationship is our friend, and hero - Jeanette Lugo. Jeanette is more than just a leader - she’s a cultivator of community, an educator, and a source of inspiration for most everyone who crosses her path.
A few weeks ago, we invited Jeannette to a conversation on the importance of food in building lasting relationships and strong communities. She, and one of her team members, Chef Keys, shared what inspired them, what makes them the most proud - and what their ultimate comfort food is.
On Beginnings:
Chef Keys said a passion for cooking came simply - he was always hungry.
“When I was young, I was always depending on my mother to make me something, so i wanted to learn. I started out making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And then, when I was tall enough to reach - I graduated to using the oven. We had the oven with the little boiler at the bottom. She would let me turn it on and heat what I wanted up. Fish sticks, chicken nuggets. I even got creative and used to make those pizzas out of an english muffin.”
On Inspiration:
Jeannette grew up with her grandmother - who shaped her culinary inclinations. When asked who inspires her tenacity and her work, she references the community itself - “The community really inspires me, you know. I grew up at the feet of my grandmother., who always asked me first what I liked. And so that stayed with me - to always ask what others would want to eat.”
Jeanette also cites the subtleties between cooking styles - both in cultures and within her community, as an inspiration.
“There's a history to every family here. You know, you see it in their Collard Greens. We had a really good time around Christmas, because everybody does the collard greens differently. And the differences in what they put in each version - it’s their signature. It’s a way of telling a story that comes from the past.”
On What Makes You Proud:
Chef Keys says every day is a proud day, because he is giving to the community he came from.
“What makes me proudest is that I went to school here. I learned a lot here. And I'm giving back to that in the same place where I learned. It's like a transition from being a student to being a teacher - that's the biggest kick for me. I've lived here - all my life, I know these people. I am these people. So it gives me a good feeling when we feed them, i’m giving back to myself in a way.”
On What We Leave Behind:
Jeannette says that giving back has always been a part of her journey, and what she hopes shapes her personal legacy.
“Well for me, it just happens to be food. I was a Marine for 16 years, and I’ve been pretty much everywhere. In terms of what I would like to leave, you know - it's funny because it changes every point of your life. But I think, most importantly, what I want to leave is that I chose kindness. You know, my favorite movie is It’s A Wonderful Life. You know that movie right? The question is, had you not been here, what would everyone around you’s life look like, right? You may never know what impact you left, but when you lead with kindness, at least within yourself you know you left something for someone - and for me, it’s the meals.
And it just happens to be meals. And what’s so beautiful for us, as chefs - and people in the food industry, is that feeding someone is the only way you can stay in someone’s DNA, and you’re with them forever. Food is in you, it becomes you. And knowing that our work, our time, our commitment - we became that fiber inside someone. And for that moment, I was a part of you and you were part of me.”
