Hi! My name is Hanna and I have the pleasure of being selected as a 2023 AAWPI National Civic Impact Fellow.
What is the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative?
AAWPI is the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative and is the only organization for Asian and Pacific Islander women. Fellows in PA, MA, and GA will be working on a project for the next six months dedicated to civic engagement and addressing an important need in the Asian community.
To follow along with projects from other AAWPI fellows, follow AAWPI on Instagram.
What is the Asian Food Collective?
Food is not only a way to nourish our bodies, but also a way to build community with each other.
People from church would bring my mother meals when I was in the hospital.
My mom always has a pot of kimchi jjigae on the stove whenever I visit home.
Since college, my best friend and I make spring rolls together.
Sharing a meal together can feel intimate; it’s a love language for many people.
When I moved to South Philly, I became an active volunteer with the South Philadelphia Community Fridge. All six of the fridge and pantry locations are open 24/7 and everyone is encouraged to take what they need and give what they can. I noticed several of our locations were located in neighborhoods with a high Asian population and many neighbors who shop the fridges are elderly Asian folks. Fridge volunteers do an incredible job stocking each location, but what if we could bring more culturally relevant foods to our neighbors? Because there’s nothing better than a hot meal that feels like home.
When I was accepted into AAWPI, I knew immediately I wanted my project to focus on food. Sharing food is not only a way to build traditions, but also a way that we can care for each other.
The Asian Food Collective is here to build community through food. My goals over the next few months are to:
Bring more Asian meals to community fridges and meal distributions.
Support the distribution of food and health resources by partnering with at least 1 Asian-led organization or City department.
I am very excited to grow this project with various neighbors and Asian-led organizations. I will be sharing more details in the coming weeks so be sure to subscribe to my Substack or follow the Asian Food Collective on social media!
Interested in connecting with ACF? Send me an email at asianfoodcollective@gmail.com!
