Giving Back

At ARV Kitchen, community is at the heart of everything we do. Our roots in food are deeply tied to family, culture, and care — and we believe that access to nourishing, culturally relevant meals should be a right, not a privilege. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to give back through ongoing initiatives that provide free lunches and food to those in need. Whether it's through neighborhood food drives, local events, or direct outreach, our team is dedicated to showing up for our community with compassion, dignity, and the meals that bring people together.

One of the ways we’ve extended this mission is through our partnership with FIG NYC (Food Issues Group), a collaboration built on shared values of food justice, inclusion, and accessibility. Together, we’ve transformed beloved family recipes into free, lovingly prepared meals distributed across the city — helping to combat food insecurity while honoring the rich traditions behind every dish. Through this partnership and others like it, ARV Kitchen continues to serve not only food, but hope, connection, and a sense of home to the communities that have supported us.

ARV Kitchen is also honored to partner with Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo in a shared mission to uplift and support the trans and gender-diverse community. Through this collaboration, ARV Kitchen provides nourishing, culturally inspired meals for community gatherings, outreach events, and mutual aid initiatives. This relationship reflects a deep commitment to food justice, inclusion, and creating spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and cared for.

Additional collaborations with Triple-J Farm, Pioneer Works Community Lunch Program, Red Hook Initiative, and Brooklyn Grange, further reflect their dedication to food justice and giving back.

Multiple meal prep containers filled with seasoned rice, grilled chicken, green beans, and sliced red bell peppers.
A smiling man wearing a black chef jacket and a gray apron, standing at a food stall during an outdoor event, with several people serving food behind him under tents.
Many plates of grilled meat, vegetables, rice, and salad at an outdoor event with people cooking on a barbecue grill in the background.
A woman wearing a camouflage bucket hat and a black apron holding a takeout container with noodles, grilled chicken, salad, and vegetables at an outdoor food event under a white canopy.
Altar with pumpkins, marigold flowers, candles, Mexican-themed decorations, and Día de los Muertos figurines, set against a colorful banner that reads 'Roof Stop Sundays' with illustrations of vegetables and a cityscape.
A man grilling sliced meat and bread rolls on outdoor grills in a park, with trees, grass, bicycles, and a fence in the background.
Three men cooking marinated chicken on a large outdoor grill at a community event
Two people wearing black aprons and black gloves are preparing a large tray of mixed rice salad outdoors in a park with trees and buildings in the background.
Multiple black meal containers filled with cooked rotini pasta topped with barbecue chicken pieces, garnished with yellow and green pasta, on a metal surface.
Four women of diverse ethnicities sitting at an outdoor table eating food at a community event, with a crowd of people standing in line in the background.
Meal prep containers with spaghetti, green beans, and pork chop portions.
Multiple plastic containers of ready-to-eat pork loin with a side of green beans and noodles, labeled "Lomo al Mojo de Ajo" from Ark Kitchen in Brooklyn, NY.