Heart of Dinner 愛心餐

Heart of Dinner reduces food insecurity, social isolation, and loneliness among Asian American older adults living in under-resourced and underinvested communities. The founders, Yin Chang & Moonlynn Tsai, united by their life partnership and mutual empathy, channeled their late-night discussions about COVID-19's global impact and the heightened racism towards Asian Americans into a proactive mission of addressing the long-standing community issues that were further exacerbated by the pandemic. The organization's journey began in March 2020, initially involving community research and outreach. This led to their first significant milestone on April 1st, 2020, cooking culturally thoughtful hot lunches in their ~300sq. ft. NYC apartment. These meals, paired with handwritten notes in the Elders' languages, aimed to provide holistic nourishment of the body, mind, and soul. Reacting to community needs, the founders rapidly expanded their offerings to include fresh groceries alongside meals and notes. Curating items beloved in Asian immigrant households, this enabled Elders to cook their preferred meals at home, supporting autonomy and respecting cultural dietary habits. The handwritten notes evolved & expanded into adorning hand-illustrated brown bags, each a work of art symbolizing the love and thought in each home delivery. These bags served as visual and emotional reminders of care and connection, addressing the dual challenges of food insecurity and isolation. With increasing support, Heart of Dinner broadened its impact across NYC, providing over 200,000 meals by Summer 2024. Transitioning from an emergency response relief effort, Heart of Dinner operated under the fiscal sponsor Edward Charles Foundation from 2020 to 2022 before it began to officially operate as a 501c3 public charity in 2023. Actively deepening their roots in NYC & preparing for scale, Heart of Dinner continues to seek support through donations at heartofdinner.org.