SAYA Youth GUEST BLOG: Volunteering with The Connected Chef

Written by: Roy Rodriguez, SAYA Senior Cohort

Recently, I volunteered alongside other SAYA youth at The Connected Chef food pantry located at 49-09 5th St, Queens, NY. This food pantry really made us feel important because we knew we were contributing to the positivity, resourcefulness and service the Connect Chef offered. We, the SAYA community, set up an assembly line and helped pack 100 boxes of rice, vegetables, fruits and the just to stay safe hand sanitizer for 100 families. Later on, we spoke to Omar Bravo-Pavia about The Connected Chef and we learned that it was his wife, Kim Calichio, and him that started the Connected Chef once the COVID pandemic hit. Many of their own friends were unemployed and they were already restaurant chefs so they knew how to handle food. So, they decided to help out the community. One of the coolest programs that the Connected Chef offers is their Lifeline Groceries because they believe food is a life necessity. They will personally deliver a box of groceries to your house as we saw first hand. In addition, depending on your situation, you can order more. This applies to families who didn’t qualify for unemployment or government assistance. The Connected Chef is there to help and so are we, I would personally be back anytime since you can volunteer yourself. Volunteer your time like they volunteered theirs.

I remember when I met Ali (Assistant Operations Manager), but I didn’t quite hear his name at first but he said, “like Muhammad Ali” and pretended to box. It was funny and that assured me that I was in the space of some pretty great people. Then, Ali asked me where I’d want to work and so I filled boxes with lettuce. Even though it doesn’t seem like much, it wasn’t a minimalistic job. When I looked down the line I noticed how if I didn’t play my part then we wouldn’t have been able to pack the boxes for the families. Everyone had an important role, and the team made by those roles helped out 100 people and it only took a little more than an hour. Who knew you can do so much by packing 1 vegetable at a time!