In 2020, the Caribbean Equality Project launched a bi-monthly food and essentials pantry service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Caribbean-centric neighborhoods across New York City are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its economic crises-many of whom are Afro-and Indo-Caribbean, South Asian, and Latinx families, including LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers. The pandemic’s state-ordered shelter-in-place quarantine contributed to mass unemployment, which affected the most marginalized community members and contributed to an exacerbation of unprecedented food insecurity. These pop-up food pantries, which have now evolved into CEP’s Food Justice Program, distributed culturally appropriate groceries and feminine hygiene products, provided cash assistance to documented and undocumented Caribbean LGBTQ+ immigrants, and more.

For the past five years, CEP’s partnership with The Campaign Against Hunger allowed the organization to serve over 81,000+ low-income and undocumented LGBTQ+ people, immigrant families, seniors, single-parent households, and HIV-impacted people through the Food Justice Program. Collectively, with community partners and elected officials, CEP distributes groceries, fresh produce, PPE, toiletries, period products, safe sex kits, and coats and toys, especially during the Thanksgiving, Diwali, Christmas, and Kwanzaa holidays. To date, CEP has organized over 45+ hyper-local pop-up pantries in Richmond Hill, Queens, Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Soundview, in The Bronx, serving an average of 350-450 families by creating an invaluable community resource fair.

The Caribbean Equality Project has been on the frontline responding to the food insecurity and financial crisis disproportionately impacting Black and Brown immigrant communities. In the past four years, the CEP’s food justice work continued as a hyper-local Tri-Borough Holiday Food and Essentials Distribution series in Caribbean neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx. In 2025, the Caribbean Equality Project will continue to love and protect our most vulnerable community members through our Food Justice Program.

Please support our work by becoming a volunteer or making a donation to sustain our food pantries.