In a city where too many people go hungry each day, a new partnership is bringing meal kits directly to survivors of domestic violence in an effort to lessen food insecurity and encourage healthy long-term habits.
New Destiny Housing, the state’s largest provider of supportive housing for those experiencing domestic violence, partnered earlier this year with EatWell, a Boston-based company that makes tailored meal kits for people with chronic illness and for those experiencing food insecurity.
EatWell operates on the belief that “wholesome food changes lives,” said Adriana Katekawa, chef and chief patient officer for the company.
Katekawa attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Boston and also has certificates in culinary coaching from Harvard University and health coaching from the Institute for Integrative Medicine — so it’s her task to ensure that the meals are appealing on all levels.
“It must be good, it must taste nice and also work with their cultural background,” Katekawa told the Bronx Times.
The company started in 2017, selling meal kits at farmer’s markets. When the pandemic hit, EatWell shifted to emergency relief work, serving over 35,000 meals, and has remained consistent on the goal of lowering food insecurity. The company currently serves Massachusetts, South Carolina and New York and through partnerships like with New Destiny, the kits are reaching more and more people who need them.
One recipient, a 20-year-old mom named Destiny, who didn’t disclose her last name, said she struggled for a long time with the constant stress of not knowing where her and her daughter’s next meal was coming from. She moved into a supportive housing building in the South Bronx close to a year ago and said EatWell meal kits have drastically improved her and her daughter’s life — to the point where it really does feel, true to her name, “destined to be,” she told the Bronx Times during a recent visit.
Things have been tough for the young mom. She is raising a two-year-old whose father is sometimes abusive and unreliable, and her job as a home health care attendant for her ailing mother pays just $18 per hour.
Before the kits came along, Destiny admitted to being a pretty awful cook. Her family never taught her much in the kitchen, so she normally resorted to easy but non-nutritious options, or burned the rice when trying to cook from scratch. Destiny said she was constantly stressed out about food — where and when to get it and how to afford it, not to mention how to cook it.
Destiny said between the lack of food and the stress of relying on pantries, she lost over 40 pounds last year as she was forced to focus on feeding her daughter over herself.
“I was hungry,” Destiny said. “I understand I can’t give [my daughter] the world, but certain things I want her to have. I didn’t know what to do.”
But things turned around once she began receiving kits from EatWell a few times per week, delivered to her door. The plain cardboard boxes conceal what Destiny called “kind of a surprise,” like a Christmas present.
Each box contains high-quality ingredients, with fresh produce and meats in vacuum bags for easy freezing and storage, along with spices and seasonings. Each kit also comes with recipe cards with nutrition facts, plus lots of pictures to show what each ingredient is, how to cut and prep it, and what the dish should look like each step of the way. Recipients can also go online and watch videos showing a chef preparing each dish.
“They keep it fun, it’s colorful,” Destiny said.
During the Bronx Times’ visit, she proudly showed off her fridge, pantry and freezer, which were well-stocked with ingredients from the kits, plus extra canned goods often sent along in the package. That night’s dinner would be chicken parmesan — one of her favorites.
For Destiny, the benefits of EatWell go far beyond food. She now feels confidence and joy in the kitchen and loves watching the videos, which give guidance to the point where she often doesn’t need written directions anymore.
“It’s mindful, like I’m not alone,” Destiny said. As she got used to cooking at home, she began to find it relaxing and fun. “I started doing my thing.”
She also said being able to cook great meals in her own kitchen has strengthened her connection with her daughter, who loves to snack on vegetables and always wants to help out, Destiny said. As a mom, she said she wants her daughter to love her cooking, not dread it, as she used to. The meals they make and eat together now contribute to a peaceful, “happy home,” said Destiny.
Katekawa said most clients attest to many emotional and social benefits from using the kits. “It’s really about reclaiming their agency, providing stability for them and for their families and finding joy.”
Destiny said she is grateful that EatWell is helping her get back on her feet. She is graduating soon from a program in medical billing and coding — a pathway towards a better-paying job in the future. Although Destiny won’t receive the kits forever, she said she is gaining enough skills to continue healthier habits and keep herself and her daughter well-fed.
“Nobody deserves to be hungry,” she said. “This is the best and right way to do it.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
