BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES PARTNERS WITH RETHINK FOOD TO LAUNCH THE FIRST-EVER RETHINK CERTIFIED CAMPUS AT MANHATTAN WEST
Restaurants and Food Purveyors at Manhattan West Will Join Forces to Create a More Sustainable and Equitable Food System in New York City Under the Rethink Certified Program
Inaugural Program is a Part of a Larger Partnership with Rethink Food and Brookfield Properties to Support New York City Restaurants, Utilize Excess Food, and Provide Meals to Food-insecure Families
New York, NY (May 4, 2022) – Today, Brookfield Properties and Rethink Food announced the creation of the first-ever Rethink Certified Campus at Brookfield Properties’ Manhattan West, New York City’s newest dining, hospitality, culture, retail, office and residential destination. The Manhattan West Rethink Certified Campus initiative aims to support a more sustainable and equitable food system in New York City.
As a Rethink Certified Campus, the entire Manhattan West restaurant and food purveyor community – inclusive of Ci Siamo, Daily Provisions, Zou Zou’s, Casa Dani, Katsuya, S Bar, Citizens New York Culinary Market, Hidden Leaf at Midnight Theater, Bluestone Lane, Black Fox Coffee, and Whole Foods Market – will commit to an array of philanthropic activations designed to reduce food waste and address food insecurity which can include excess food donation, onsite meal preparation or Rethink Food fundraising.
To fund the initiative, Brookfield Properties is making a $250,000 donation to the non-profit, building upon a longstanding partnership between the two organizations. The Manhattan West Rethink Certified Campus is expected to collect over 5 tons of excess food and provided 50,000 meals prepared by the Rethink Food commissary kitchen as part of the partnership.
“Manhattan West is the perfect place to launch the first-ever Rethink Certified Campus given the neighborhood’s incredible culinary community and Brookfield’s steadfast commitment to instilling sustainability in every facet of our business,” said Callie Haines, Executive Vice President and Head of New York for the office business of Brookfield Properties. “Hand-in-hand with Rethink Food and our world-class restaurant and food market partners, we aim to create a sustainable food system at Manhattan West and address food insecurity through raising funds and transforming unutilized food into nutritious, culturally celebrated meals distributed via community-based organizations to families across the city.”
“The Rethink Certified Campus at Manhattan West is a major milestone in our effort to bridge the gap between the 108 billion pounds of food that go uneaten in the U.S. every year and the 38 million Americans who lack reliable access to food. Leveraging Rethink Food’s model, this unique campus embodies how we can collectively transform excess food into nutritious meals – and connect these meals with areas of food insecurity,” said Matt Jozwiak, Rethink Food Founder and CEO. “We’re incredibly proud to partner with Brookfield Properties and its network of like-minded restaurants and market partners at Manhattan West to redefine how together we can not only impact the lives of the community we serve but also the environment around us.”
Today’s announcement builds upon a multifaceted partnership between Rethink Food and Brookfield Properties which began in July 2020 in the height of the pandemic when Brookfield announced a one-million-dollar partnership with Rethink and Union Square Hospitality Group to help reactivate New York City restaurants, accelerate re-employment of restaurant team members, and provide more than 125,000 meals to food-insecure families of the South Bronx.
All participating businesses will contribute to the Manhattan West Rethink Certified Campus initiative in one or more of the following ways:
Excess Food Donation to Rethink Food: Donated items will be collected on-site and converted at Rethink Food’s commissary kitchen into free meals for the community.
Onsite Meal Preparation Utilizing Excess Ingredients: Prepared meals will be distributed to communities facing food insecurity. Rethink Food will provide additional resources to support participating restaurants in preparing meals as well.
Fundraise/Advocate for Rethink Food: Support local communities alongside the Rethink team with opportunities to raise funds and advocate for Rethink Food.
Since its launch in April 2020, the Rethink Certified program has directed $30M into 115+ independent restaurants and has provided over 7 million meals for those facing food insecurity across New York City, Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Miami. The evolution continues with the debut of the Rethink Certified Campus at Manhattan West this April.
For more information, please visit ManhattanWestNYC.com.
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ABOUT MANHATTAN WEST
Manhattan West is New York City’s newest dynamic destination for food, culture, retail, hospitality and the modern workplace by Brookfield Properties. Spanning eight acres, Manhattan West is located in the center of Manhattan’s new West Side, steps away from Moynihan Hall, Madison Square Garden and The High Line, with seamless access to the theater district, entertainment district, Chelsea art galleries, Meatpacking District and more. Home to diverse world-class office space, Pendry Manhattan West, luxury residences at The Eugene, experiential retail amenities, and unparalleled culinary concepts surrounding a landscaped, two-acre public plaza enlivened with immersive art and entertainment programming by Arts Brookfield, Manhattan West incorporates the best of Brookfield’s global placemaking portfolio to create a new district that has something for everyone. Visit www.ManhattanWestNYC.com for further information.
ABOUT BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES
Brookfield Properties is a leading global developer and operator of high-quality real estate assets. We are active in nearly all real estate sectors, including office, retail, multifamily, hospitality and logistics, operating more than 800 properties and over 375 million square feet of real estate in gateway markets on behalf of Brookfield Asset Management, one of the largest asset managers in the world. With a focus on sustainability, a commitment to excellence, and the drive for relentless innovation in the planning, development and management of buildings and their surroundings, Brookfield Properties is reimagining real estate from the ground up. For more information, visit www.brookfieldproperties.com.
ABOUT RETHINK FOOD
Founded in 2017, Rethink Food is a nonprofit with the mission to create a more sustainable and equitable food system. As part of its flagship program called Rethink Certified, Rethink Food works with restaurants, kitchens, and corporations to prepare nutritious and culturally celebrated meals for food-insecure communities. Rethink Food also operates a commissary kitchen that prepares 9,000 meals a week using a mix of purchased, donated and excess food. Since April 2020, Rethink Food has provided over 7 million meals to local communities, used 1.2 million pounds of excess and/or donated food, directed over $30M to 115+ restaurants and food establishments across New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Nashville, Washington D.C., and Miami, and partnered with 125+ community-based organizations to distribute meals. For more information, visit rethinkfood.org
Media Contact: Julienne Engelstad, BerlinRosen, mw@berlinrosen.com