Written by Ariel Tsai
June 6, 2026 was a sunny and breezy Saturday at the Tzu Chi USA Manhattan Family Service Center, where the center’s biweekly food pantry distribution was being held. 33 volunteers served a total of 554 beneficiaries, which was more than the average of 500 served at previous events. Although the number of volunteers was comparatively small, everyone performed their duties diligently, with great team spirit, successfully completing the day’s distribution.
Volunteer Jimmy Lin shared that this outdoor food distribution event began during the pandemic several years ago. Some of the goods distributed at the events are donated by wholesalers. Others are purchased by volunteers. About the service, he shared, “As long as volunteers continue to participate and residents continue to need it, we will continue to run this program.”
“This is one of the largest community service events in Chinatown,” shared Ming Bao, a Tzu Chi volunteer. He also shared his hopes that more volunteers would join the service events in the future. “Anyone with time and a willingness to help others is welcome to join.”
The Manhattan Family Service Center conducts food pantry distributions on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Many clients of the food distribution line up early before the event begins, some even waiting up to two hours beforehand. Anna Leung, a Tzu Chi volunteer, shared that sometimes in New York’s bitterly cold winters, she urges those lining up to wait inside the service center, despite there not being much space. Yet despite the limitations of the space, the food distribution’s recipients are always polite and follow the rules. The volunteers also offer chairs to clients for whom standing is inconvenient, and they are always immensely grateful.
Much of the clientele of the food distribution events are older, and many have small, fixed incomes while living alone. Yet many still donate their spare change to Tzu Chi’s bamboo banks at each distribution, knowing that their pooled donations will continue the cycle of kindness and pay forward the compassion they themselves receive on a regular basis.
The items provided at these food pantry distributions are always carefully curated selections of fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based options. The Manhattan Family Service Center is located in New York City’s Chinatown, so many care recipients at the food distributions are of Asian descent. Thus, the food pantry offerings are tailored to that demographic’s preferences. For example, many food pantries offer shelf stable canned goods, but Tzu Chi volunteer Annie Chu shared that the Manhattan Family Service Center rarely does, since many of the event’s clientele don’t typically use those kinds of foods. Instead, the offerings lean more towards fresh fruits and vegetables, tofu, eggs, and noodles. This ensures accessibility and cultural appropriateness for the community served while promoting health-conscious and environmentally-friendly practices.
Volunteer Norah Lin has been serving the Chinatown community alongside Tzu Chi since she was in middle school eight years ago. She expressed that volunteer experience is immensely valuable for young people, whose lives are often just an endless cycle around school, family and friends. Volunteering gives the youth an opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life, increasing their maturity and empathy. She added that everyone is welcome to come volunteer.
Jeff Lian, another volunteer, just graduated from New York University. He has been volunteering with Tzu Chi for about a year. For the distribution on June 6, he brought two friends to volunteer alongside him, because he felt it was a valuable experience to have. He shared that community spirit is important, not just among the community members being served at the event, but also among the volunteers who serve. Working alongside others who have similar values, who care about the same issues as you, is a heartening experience, especially for a topic as important as food insecurity. As a biology major looking to explore a career in the medical field, Jeff recognizes that nutrition and food security are important factors in individual and community health.
Ophilia Lu, a volunteer who only recently started working with Tzu Chi, shared that she has been looking for an organization that truly values the service of volunteers, and that she found that organization in Tzu Chi. “Every time I finish a community service event, I feel incredibly happy because I know I’m helping the community and giving back to the community that helped me grow,” she shared.
By serving others, we are the ones who truly benefit.
Lisa Cheng, one of the Manhattan Family Service Center’s care recipients, shared that she takes care of her disabled husband and the distributions of fresh groceries are one of the things that help keep them afloat, since they, like many others, do not always qualify to apply for other kinds of assistance. “If it weren’t for the fact that I have to take care of my husband, I would also love to join the ranks of volunteers,” Cheng shared.
For many of the clients of the food distribution, the event is not only a way to get nutritious food, but also a means of interacting with the larger community. A lot of the older adults on the recipient roster live alone, making socialization and positive interaction with others harder to come by. Cheng Po Ying, one of the food distribution’s clients, mentioned that one of the other perks of the event is regularly getting to see other people and get out of the house for a bit to be somewhere livelier.
The Manhattan Family Service Center’s volunteers also keep track of who comes for groceries, and volunteer Anna Leung shared that she is one of the volunteers that calls those who miss the events to urge them to pick up their food. This is one of the signs of care for the individual members of the community which is so integral to Tzu Chi’s compassionate practice.
In strengthening food security for the vulnerable members of our community, we increase community resilience. In serving our communities with compassion, we reach across divides which would otherwise break us apart. By joining the ranks of community service volunteers, we not only breathe life into programs without which our most vulnerable community members would falter, but also bring meaning and joy into our own lives.
