When the final bell rang at P.S. 177 in Brooklyn, families did not just head home with their kids — they left with dinner, too.
Celebrity chef Eitan Bernath told amNewYork that he helped distribute 500 meal boxes to families at school pickup.
“Kids were carrying them home with their parents, some even coming back for seconds. It was a real community moment,” said Bernath.
Celebrity chef Eitan Bernath joined HelloFresh, the world’s largest meal-kit provider, City Harvest, NYC’s leading food rescue program, and No Kid Hungry, a non-profit dedicated to ending childhood hunger, as an ambassador. Helping hand-deliver fresh meals as part of the new Hunger Hero Campaign, aimed at tackling the surge in food insecurity when school cafeterias close for summer.
Bernath shared how he personally distributed boxes, but that is not all he delivered. He helped shine a spotlight on a troubling reality: 1 in 4 New York City children do not always know where their next meal is coming from, a crisis that only gets worse during the summer when free school meals are not available.
To help ease the burden, HelloFresh launched the Hunger Hero campaign in partnership with City Harvest and No Kid Hungry. The initiative donated 1,500 meal kits to thousands of local families, each box filled with nutritious meals identical to those delivered to HelloFresh customers.
“What’s important about this is the meals that were being distributed to the people in need… are the exact same meals that HelloFresh customers are buying… People who are food insecure deserve to eat just as delicious, just as nutritious, just as incredible food as those of us who can afford to buy our own food,” Bernath said.
Each box includes fully prepared meals like chicken tikka masala, oatmeal cups, and even French macarons — offering families both nutrition and sweetness.
The idea for the Hunger Hero campaign didn’t start in a kitchen — it started in the classroom.
After conducting research on families experiencing food insecurity — and surveying teachers who witness the impact firsthand — the results were eye-opening.
“Teachers were saying they’re nervous about children not having food when they’re not in school,” said Jeff Yorzyk, Senior Director of Sustainability at HelloFresh.
Yorzyk’s commitment to food access is rooted in decades of sustainability work. As a former environmental consultant, he traces his passion back to a moment in the 1990s while hiking in the mountains, wondering how to prevent waste before it happens.
That reflection led him to business school — and eventually to HelloFresh, where he became the company’s sustainability lead in North America.
“Sustainability is a massive issue with many moving parts,” he said. “At HelloFresh, we try to focus on the areas where we can truly move the needle.”
Food insecurity, he realized, was one of those areas. The company’s infrastructure and product model offered a unique opportunity to get fresh food to people who need it.
What followed was a call to action, bringing together HelloFresh, No Kid Hungry, City Harvest, and celebrity chefs to launch a campaign determined on feeding kids when they need it most.
From there, HelloFresh leveraged its nationwide supply chain to make the initiative possible. Yorzyk explained that the company’s weekly production model — built to serve millions of customers — allows them to identify excess food in real time and redirect it quickly to local food rescue organizations.
“Because of our weekly turnover cycle, we’re able to move food to charities while it’s still incredibly fresh—often retail quality,” he said.
Feeding people at a large scale often comes with waste, but for HelloFresh, addressing hunger also means tackling that waste head-on. As Yorzyk explains, the company’s approach to sustainability goes hand-in-hand with hunger relief.
“We have this massive investment in food, in terms of labor and actually the carbon footprint of making that food and getting it places,” he said. “We really feel a responsibility to make sure it gets to people to eat, rather than going to a landfill… It belongs in people’s mouths.”
What sets this effort apart from previous hunger relief programs, Yorzyk explained, is its focused response to childhood hunger during a critical moment.
As NYC food banks near capacity and local pantries are pushed to their limits, the end of the school year marks a dangerous tipping point. Millions of children who rely on school meals will face heightened food insecurity in the weeks ahead.
“Food insecurity for adults—we look at that and that’s a big problem. But when we think about the developmental years of a person, when someone is growing up and experiencing food insecurity, it reduces their ability to focus on academics—and on growing up,” Yorzyk explained.
By teaming up with public figures like Eitan Bernath and organizations like City Harvest and No Kid Hungry, the campaign aims to meet a dire need — and shine a spotlight on a crisis that is worsening as federal programs like SNAP face potential cutbacks.
Since launching in New York, the Hunger Hero campaign has already made a visible impact. At P.S. 177 alone, 500 meal boxes were distributed in just a few hours, each one packed with chef-designed, ready-to-eat meals. Across the city, a total of 1,500 boxes, containing up to four full meals, were delivered to neighborhoods where the need is greatest.
Beyond the meals themselves, the campaign has helped raise awareness about summer hunger, prompting conversations and encouraging others to step in and help.
“Everybody can be a hunger hero,” says Yorzyk.
The campaign is not stopping in NYC. Hunger Hero events are already planned for cities like Atlanta and Phoenix later this Summer with HelloFresh continuing to expand its reach.
Because for HelloFresh, fighting hunger is not a one-time effort — it is a long-term commitment to feeding communities and minimizing waste. But most importantly, making sure no child is left behind without a meal.
To learn more about the Hunger Hero campaign, find local meal distribution events, or to make a donation, visit hellofresh.com/pages/nokidhungry. New Yorkers in need of fresh meals can also access resources and support through cityharvest.org.
