A 22-year-old Manhattan resident is changing the lives of those in need one weekend at a time by supplying homeless shelters with donated food through a local charity.
East Village resident Ezra Firestone wakes up at the crack of dawn every Saturday and Sunday morning to pick up loads of donated food from Whole Foods in Chelsea which he then distributes throughout the City.
“The charity is based around the surplus goods that most businesses usually just dispose of,” said Firestone. “What happens is a store like Whole Foods has extremely high stands for there food or over-orders to ensure they have enough stock. So when it comes to a day or two before the sell-by date of the food, they throw it away. What I do is come and collect this food and bring it to those in need.”
“We deliver to The Bowery Mission, the Henry Street Settlement, Helen’s House, and to a few others shelters in and around the city.”
The donated food will generally vary, but an average load will generally consist of mixed berries, pineapple and other fruit, sandwiches, sushi, bread, muffins and pastries.
Firestone operates as a volunteer of We Are Family, Inc.,a local, all-volunteer nonprofit charity who collect surplus food and goods and distribute them to the to the less fortunate in Yonkers and the greater New York area.
“We’re very happy that Ezra is taking advantage of his relationship with the charity to take care of so many people in Manhattan each week,” said We Are Family Administrator Gerry Goodman. “As doing this kind of work makes our lives so much more fun, we’re figuring it’s probably having the same impact on him.”
While Firestone works under the name of We Are Family, his operation is all his own.
From his apartment on East 12 Street, he will take a cab to the Whole Foods on 24 Street and Seventh Avenue where sometimes he is assisted by a friend and sometimes not. After receiving the food, he will hail a cab on the street, which he will use to distribute the food and then, later, as a ride home.
Recently, a New York City cab drive volunteered his time to help the cause.
“The guy was actually giving us a hard time at first, he was afraid we were going to spill juice in his cab,” said Firestone. “When I told him what we were doing he couldn’t believe it. The rest of the cab ride he was praising us and telling about how in his country there were hungry people and how he’d like to set up something like this there. The last couple of weeks he’s been driving is for free!”
“There is real joy in anonymous giving, it’s hard to articulate the feeling,” said Firestone. “Its nice to do something with no agenda, where I’m not looking to gain something by doing it except to spread love.”
“There’s no shortage of food, clothing, or anything really. Just a shortage of distribution.”