RaisingHealth Partners

It may feel like the pandemic is over, but many low-income immigrant families in Sunset Park, Brooklyn are still feeling its effects acutely. Food insecurity—lack of consistent access to healthy food—has increased sharply in Sunset Park since the beginning of the pandemic, as families have lost sources of income, experienced new health and social challenges, and faced rising food costs. Our Chinese community members have dealt with additional factors, such as rising anti-Asian hate crimes, that have increased their anxieties about moving around the neighborhood, including to buy food.

At the Academy of Medical and Public Health Services (AMPHS), we address these challenges through our linguistically and culturally accessible food program, which provides immigrant community members with access to healthy food and nutrition education. We hold biweekly food distributions, each serving 200+ families, and monthly nutrition workshops. Over 50% of food program participants are Chinese seniors, and 100% are low-income.

For AAPI Heritage Month, we’re raising funds to provide food access to our Chinese community members. COVID-era food pantry funding has run dry, leaving us with a significant funding gap. Yet the continuing economic effects of COVID have consistently driven up demand for our food services, and we maintain a running waitlist of community members we cannot serve.

We need your help to continue serving our Chinese community through food and nutrition education. Your donation will directly support the purchase of fresh, culturally-appropriate food and the provision of bilingual nutrition education workshops by our Food Program Coordinator and Chinese-speaking staff. Together, we can ensure our Chinese community members have consistent access to the nutritious food and resources they need to be healthy.

About RaisingHealth

RaisingHealth Partners (formerly AMPHS) is a public health nonprofit that serves Chinese and Latino immigrant New Yorkers in South Brooklyn, many of whom are uninsured and have been denied access to healthcare because of their immigration status. We provide free services for low-income immigrants that promote community wellness, including public health outreach, health screenings, mental health counseling, English literacy classes, a culturally-tailored food pantry, safety trainings, and community murals. Through our work, we affirm that healthcare is not a privilege but a basic human right.