04/02/2020
As the COVID-19 Pandemic shuts down schools across the nation, local families in need receive daily dinners.
New York Kitchen chefs have been working during their temporary closure by cooking daily dinners to support families within the Geneva Boys & Girls Club organization.
“We received an email from Chris Lavin with the Geneva Boys & Girls Club looking for help to support families who would be affected by the school and club shutdowns,” said Bethany DiSanto, General Manager, New York Kitchen. “There was no hesitation, there was just action – we immediately got him on the phone and asked what they needed. Chris responded with, dinner.”
New York Kitchen began its partnership with the Geneva Boys & Girls Club thanks to funding from Dr. Dan Alexander who co-chaired New York Kitchen’s 6th Annual Garden Party alongside New York Kitchen Board President and Sands Family Foundation Executive Director, Ginny Clark in 2018. Dr. Alexander grew up within the Boys & Girls Club organization and thanks its leadership for forming who is he today.
“The Geneva Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs does the same for generations of underprivileged youth in the area. New York Kitchen’s innovative culinary training program teaches at risk youth real life skills that translates into real jobs when they are done. Ultimately, the Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs of Geneva, through these important local partnerships, helps level the playing field and gives kids a fighting chance to succeed in life.”
New York Kitchen provided a week-long cooking camp free of charge to youth within the Geneva Boys & Girls Club during the summer of 2019. On top of the Geneva Boys & Girls Club, New York Kitchen also offers free camps and classes to the Rochester Boys & Girls Club, 4H-Camp Bristol Hills, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Champions Academy and Wegmans Hillside to help promote workforce and economic development within the region by preparing these youth for a future within the hospitality and culinary arts industries.
“New York Kitchen reminds you that food preparation is, at its heart, an expression of love and caring,” said Chris Lavin, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva. “Within 24 hours of closing the Geneva schools, New York Kitchen chefs were helping us deliver full dinners to more than 150 kids who rely on the club for nutrition every day. Amid the stress, young lives are being supported.”
“Some of our teens are now moving into afterschool work with Wegmans and other food outlets,” Lavin said. “Nothing is better for a meaningful life than a good education and work experience. New York Kitchen has given us both.”
New York Kitchen is donating fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables to the Geneva Boys & Girls Club as well as Woodcrest Commons, a DePaul Senior Living Community to support their families and residents during this time.
About New York Kitchen
New York Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization located in the heart of the Finger Lakes, founded in June 2006 by Constellation Brands, Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester Institute of Technology and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. Since its beginning, New York Kitchen has welcomed over 800,000 guests to experience craft beverage tastings, cooking classes, farm-to-table dining and much more. At least 80 percent of all food and supplies at New York Kitchen is sourced from New York State vendors. New York Kitchen is proudly supported by I Love New York and Taste New York.
