named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Culturally Thoughtful Meal Delivery
Hand-delivers ready-to-eat meals and grocery staples tailored to Asian immigrant food traditions, accompanied by handwritten notes and artwork to combat social isolation.
Volunteer Note and Bag Decoration Initiative
Engages volunteers to create decorated bags and handwritten notes in multiple languages, including Traditional Chinese, to personalize care packages and strengthen intergenerational and cultural connections.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 2 activities
- Emergency food assistance for NYC elders facing sudden benefit lossLaunched targeted emergency relief in November for Elder tenants in Chinatown, NYC who lost SNAP benefits and faced acute food insecurity, delivering time-sensitive care packages to mitigate immediate need.
- Rescue and redistribution of surplus food to reduce wasteRescued and redirected over 100,000 pounds of food and pantry items since March 2020, distributing surplus from elder care packages and volunteer meals to neighborhood community fridges and local food pantries to support broader community needs and reduce food waste.
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Disaster Relief and Recovery Services 1 activity
- Emergency and periodic care package relief for Asian American elders in Los AngelesProvides emergency and ongoing care package deliveries to Asian American elders in under-resourced Los Angeles communities, initially launched in January 2025 as wildfire relief and continuing through 2026. Delivered over 1,000 care packages during the initial emergency response and continues with periodic distributions every few months.
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Local Food Systems Development 1 activity
- Funding and procurement support for hyperlocal minority-owned food businessesDirects significant financial support to hyperlocal restaurants, farms, and vendors—particularly Asian-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQIA+-owned—through program purchases, investing over $2.1 million since 2020, including more than $500,000 specifically in independent NYC food establishments owned by marginalized individuals.
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Volunteer Engagement and Capacity Support 1 activity
- Volunteer engagement and management for care package productionMobilizes over 15,000 hours of volunteer time since inception to support meal delivery and care package assembly, including student volunteers who earn verified service hours by producing decorated bags and handwritten notes that meet organizational standards. Offers remote and on-site volunteer opportunities.
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Home-Delivered Meals for Seniors and Homebound 1 activity
- Weekly home delivery of culturally thoughtful care packages to Asian American elders in New York CityDelivers approximately 800 weekly care packages to Asian American older adults in New York City, each containing three days of culturally appropriate meals, fresh produce, decorated bags, and handwritten notes in native languages to address food insecurity and social isolation. The program operates through a packing and delivery hub at La Marqueta in East Harlem and previously used Essex Market as a distribution site.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$788K
Contributions & grants$785K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$3K
expenses
Total expenses$1.17M
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead14%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$311K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.72M
Cash$1.68M
Investments$0
Liabilities$82K
Net assets$1.64M
Liquid reserves17.2 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue -7.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOONLYNN TSAI | CO PRESIDENT | 50 | $120K |
| YIN CHANG | CO PRESIDENT | 60 | $120K |
board members · 1
- VIVIAN CHEN — SECRETARY
relationships · 30
Who they work with
- Choy Commons Partner — Cooperative of Asian-led farms supplying heritage produce for elder care packages
- Choy Division Partner — Farm growing East Asian heritage crops using regenerative techniques for Heart of Dinner programs
- Civil Arts X Christie's x EastWestBank Partner — Hosted an exhibition and published a cookbook with 100% of proceeds supporting Heart of Dinner’s work.
- Co-Executive Directors Partner — Co-founded and lead the organization alongside staff and volunteers
- Coffee Project New York Partner — Created a custom roast to support Heart of Dinner’s mission.
- Essex Market Partner — Community partner donating test kitchen space since 2020 for weekly care package packing and distribution
- Fong On Partner — Partner providing freshly made soy milk for elders on independent care routes since 2020
- Gentle Time Farm Partner — Trans and queer cooperatively owned farm growing culturally relevant East Asian crops for Asian diaspora communities
- Here & There Collective Partner — Collaborated on an art benefit auction that raised $100,000, with proceeds supporting Heart of Dinner’s programs.
- La Marqueta Partner — Community partner providing space since 2022 for packing and delivering care packages to elders in East Harlem
- Lower Eastside Partner — Volunteer operations conducted in and around the Lower Eastside area.
- Material Kitchen Partner — Donates 50% of sales from a custom cutting board to support Heart of Dinner.
- Mobilize Partner — Platform used for quarterly release of on-site volunteer shifts on a first-come basis.
- NB Wing Wong Partner — Restaurant partner preparing hundreds of Cantonese meals weekly for elders
- One Tree Planted Partner — Partnership to plant a tree for every 250 brown bags purchased
- PINTRILL Partner — Manufacturer that brought the Puffy Gourd Keychain to life
- Partybus Bakeshop Partner — Local restaurant partner providing prepared meals for care packages
- Partybus Bakeshop Partner — NYC drop-off partner that hosts Heart of Dinner’s decorated bag pickup and drop-off, enabling community contributions.
- Partybus Bakeshop Partner — NYC-based partner organization serving as a drop-off location for handwritten notes and care packages; collaborates on community engagement and fundraising through a co-created scallion bun product.
- Partybus Bakeshop Partner — Partner bakery providing custom baked goods including milk toast and scallion buns for elders weekly
- Partybus Bakeshop Partner — Restaurant partner that bakes hundreds of loaves weekly for care packages and dedicates 10% of scallion bun sales to Heart of Dinner.
- Persimmon Coffee Partner — Donates all net proceeds from the 'Heart of Dinner x Persimmon Kokoro' coffee collaboration.
- SUM STUDIOS Partner — Design collaborator for the Puffy Gourd Keychain
- Saigon Social Partner — Restaurant partner preparing culturally thoughtful meals for elders since 2020
- Star Route Farm Partner — Farm addressing food inequities by growing nutritious, culturally relevant produce for food-insecure communities
- Sticky Locals x Win Son Bakery Partner — Collaborated on a sticker sale with all proceeds funding Heart of Dinner’s efforts.
- Wu's Wonton King Partner — Restaurant partner since 2022 providing comforting Cantonese cuisine to elders
- Zaab Zaab Partner — Restaurant partner since 2021 cooking tens of thousands of meals and creating hand-decorated bags and notes for elders
- hyperlocal Asian-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQIA+-owned restaurants, farms, and vendors Partner — Purchases meals, ingredients, and groceries from these businesses to support local economies and ensure culturally appropriate food.
- s-u-m studio Partner — Design collaboration with Andrew Teoh and Sebit Min, who are part of s-u-m studio.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community Economic Investment via Local Procurementmethodology: community_economic_supportBy purchasing meals and heritage foods from local small businesses—especially those owned by women and marginalized individuals—we strengthen community resilience and economic ecosystems, because directing resources locally creates shared purpose and sustains culturally relevant food access.
- Culturally Thoughtful Holistic Caremethodology: culturally_thoughtful_careBy delivering culturally familiar meals alongside handwritten notes and decorated bags, we address both food insecurity and social isolation among Asian American older adults, because combining cultural relevance with personal, creative gestures fosters emotional connection, dignity, and a sense of being seen.
- Intergenerational Connection Through Personalized Caremethodology: intergenerational-care-modelBy engaging volunteers to create hand-decorated bags and handwritten notes, we strengthen intergenerational and cross-cultural bonds, because personal, hand-created communication makes isolated elders feel cared for and connected, enhancing emotional well-being.