Company
Heart of Dinner
Location
New York, New York
Industry
Non-Profit Organization
Years in Business
6 Years
Company Website
https://www.heartofdinner.org/
About Heart of Dinner
Nourishing NYC’s Asian elders with love and food every week.
Founded in September 2015, Heart of Dinner is a women-led non-profit organization founded by Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Change. Heart of Dinner was originally a supper club bringing people together around a shared meal and sense of community. In early 2020, as the pandemic hit, the duo quickly evolved their idea into a focus on those most vulnerable around Manhattan’s Chinatown area, with a focus on homebound elders. Together they are working to address food insecurity and isolation experienced by Asian American seniors. Two long-standing community issues heightened by the pandemic. Heart of Dinner now serves 1,500+ elders in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Delivering weekly hot lunches, fresh produce, and bulk ingredients while supporting local small businesses during their Covid-related recovery process.
Purpose of Purchase
100% of the proceeds from the tote bags will go towards meals and care packages for the elderly Asian American communities in New York City. The bags can be purchased on their website.
Tote Bag Details
Market Totes – 18”W x 14”H x 6”G with 25” Spun Poly Handles
The Pandemic and Its Effect on Small Businesses
Following March 2020, Covid-19 has had a significant impact on small businesses across the United States. During a recent study conducted in March 2021, 28.2% of the 885,000 small businesses surveyed claimed that the pandemic had a largely negative effect on business. As opposed to the 1.7% of small businesses who stated that the pandemic had a largely positive effect on their businesses.
Although the study concluded that 20.6% of small businesses in the United States saw little or no effect, a total of 71.8% of businesses saw some type of negative effect within their business. We know we just threw a lot of statistics your way, but these numbers are incredibly important!
In the United States, small businesses are the heart of our economy. They stimulate growth and innovation within local communities, and account for roughly two-thirds of new jobs created. During 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration reported 31.7 million small businesses registered within the United States. Meaning these small businesses accounted for 99.9% of all U.S. businesses.
Evolving Your Business to Reflect Changing Times
Much like our friends at Heart of Dinner, it can oftentimes be necessary to adjust and evolve your business in order to reflect changing times. A great example of adapting to change is the increase in curbside and delivery services, as well as online ordering systems that many businesses implemented this past year as they could not allow customers within their physical storefront or restaurant.
As a business owner, you do what is necessary in order to keep your business alive. Maybe it involves methods that you never would have considered prior to the pandemic or that are completely unfamiliar to you. And diving into that unknown can be scary. But the rewards you reap – the ability to continue employing others, providing for your family, and maintaining a local business presence (among so much more) – are absolutely worth it.
Do not lose sight of what a fundamental role your business plays in the community. Stay focused on why you began your business in the first place. And whatever you do, do not be afraid of change!
We would love to hear more about changes your small business has implemented over the past year! Let us know in the comments.
