Heart of Dinner

What Heart of Dinner does

Heart of Dinner is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in March 2020 by Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Chang in response to COVID-19-related food insecurity among Asian American older adults in New York City. The organization addresses three interrelated problems — food insecurity, social isolation, and loneliness — through a weekly Wednesday care package delivery model that combines culturally specific meals, hand-illustrated bags, and handwritten notes in six Asian languages (Chinese in Traditional and Simplified, Thai, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, and Japanese). Operations currently serve approximately 800 elders weekly across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, with a Los Angeles pilot launched in January 2025 to support elders displaced by wildfires. As of December 2025, the organization has delivered nearly 250,000 cumulative meals since founding.

The underlying service architecture is intentionally low-tech and high-touch: volunteers register via Typeform, then physically assemble, illustrate, and deliver packages each Wednesday using personal vehicles with third-party driver (Ally) backup and a planned 2025 launch of an in-house eco-friendly refrigerated van fleet. Heart of Dinner sources meals from local Asian-owned restaurants (Partybus Bakeshop, Saigon Social, Wu's Wonton King, Zaab Zaab) and produce from Choy Commons farm, reinvesting more than $500,000 into these independent food establishments in 2023. Packing operations are hosted at donated spaces including Essex Market (Lower East Side) and La Marqueta (Harlem), and the organization distributes through community partners including the Chinese American Planning Council, Hamilton Madison House, and Grand Street Settlement. Donation processing runs on Network for Good and Givebutter, with merchandise sales (totes, keychains, aprons, coffee collaborations) and peer-to-peer fundraising providing additional revenue. The core team is 7 staff members supported by 80+ weekly volunteers.

The revenue model is purely donation-based with no fee-for-service component. Pricing is expressed as impact tiers: $30 delivers one care package (approximately three days of meals plus a handwritten note and illustrated bag); $150 funds five packages; $720 covers weekly care for approximately 50 elders for one week; $1,500 funds a year of weekly care for an elder couple; $3,000 covers a full week of deliveries at one site; and $10,000 represents a major corporate or group gift. Major institutional support includes OLO/Tides Foundation ($150,000 in 2023, second consecutive year), Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy, Brooklyn Community Foundation, James Beard Foundation, and pro bono legal counsel coordinated through Lawyers Alliance for New York. The organization markets primarily through earned media (New York Times, Fortune, TIME, Kelly Clarkson Show, Clinton Global Initiative), Instagram and Facebook community channels, corporate volunteer days, and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.

Name

Heart of Dinner

Legal name

Heart of Dinner, Inc.

Website

https://heartofdinner.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heart of Dinner is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers weekly culturally thoughtful care packages — meals, hand-illustrated bags, and handwritten multilingual notes — to approximately 800 Asian American older adults facing food insecurity and isolation across four NYC boroughs and Los Angeles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

West New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Primary revenue stream from individual donors contributing monetary gifts. $30 delivers one care package. Processed through Network for Good and Givebutter platforms.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Major donor and foundation support including OLO/Tides Foundation ($150,000 in 2023), Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy, Brooklyn Community Foundation, James Beard Foundation, and others.
3. Merchandise Sales: 100% of net proceeds from merchandise (totes, keychains, aprons, coffee collaborations) support operations. Products include Puffy Gourd Keychain ($18), Bottle Gourd Tote ($35), coffee collabs ($20-23).
4. Brand Partnership Campaigns: Mutually beneficial fundraising campaigns and co-branded merchandise developed with brand partners for cause marketing and awareness.
5. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: Individual supporters host fundraisers (birthdays, events, challenges) through Givebutter platform, with 100% of proceeds donated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Heart of Dinner delivers hand-decorated care packages every Wednesday to Asian American older adults living in under-resourced communities across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Los Angeles. Each package contains approximately three days of culturally thoughtful meals sourced from local Asian-owned restaurants and farms, a hand-illustrated bag, and a handwritten love note in the elder's native language (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, or Japanese). The model simultaneously addresses food insecurity, social isolation, and loneliness among isolated elders.

Product overview

Heart of Dinner is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a weekly care package delivery service for Asian American older adults facing food insecurity and social isolation in under-resourced communities. The core service consists of hand-decorated care packages containing culturally thoughtful meals sourced from local small businesses, handwritten notes in elders' native languages, and hand-illustrated bags. Operations span New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx) and Los Angeles. The organization also sells merchandise including gourd-themed accessories, produce-inspired totes, aprons, and coffee collaborations, with 100% of net proceeds supporting the mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Heart of Dinner Care Packages Hand-decorated weekly care packages delivered to Asian American older adults, each containing approximately three days of culturally thoughtful meals from local small businesses, a hand-illustrated bag, and a handwritten love note in the elder's native language. Delivered every Wednesday across NYC boroughs and Los Angeles.
• Puffy Gourd Keychain

Quantifiable outcome

• 800 elders nourished weekly across NYC and LA
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Partybus BakeshopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the first restaurant partners since 2020. Provides hundreds of loaves of milk bread and scallion buns weekly for care packages. Also serves as NYC drop-off location for volunteer contributions. Dedicate 10% of scallion bun sales to Heart of Dinner.
• Saigon SocialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner providing hearty lunchboxes (curry chicken) for care packages, with ongoing collaboration since 2020.
• Wu's Wonton KingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner providing hot lunchboxes for Lower East Side care packages.
• Zaab ZaabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner contributing to care package meal offerings.
• Choy CommonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmer partner providing locally grown East Asian vegetables (bok choy, A-choy, daikon, celtuce, cabbage, fresh garlic) for care packages, supporting community-owned food system vision.
• One Tree PlantedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partner. For every bundle of 250 brown bags purchased for care packages, one tree is planted - blending mission of care with environmental stewardship.
• Essex MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated test kitchen space for Lower East Side packing site for third consecutive year. Hosted volunteer operations since 2020.
• La MarquetacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated space for Harlem packing site, significantly bolstering efforts in Harlem neighborhood.
• Chinese American Planning CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization distributing culturally thoughtful nourishment to their older adult clients since 2020.
• Hamilton Madison HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner serving communities across NYC for decades, distributing care packages to older adults.
• Foothill Unity CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA partner picking up care packages to deliver door-to-door to clients directly impacted by Eaton Canyon Fires.
• Mignardises LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA creative studio owner generously opening her space for Heart of Dinner to assemble care packages in Historic Filipino Town.
• Ally (Third-Party Delivery)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner providing drivers when volunteer availability for independent routes is limited.
• New York LibertycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAAPI Heritage Month collaboration including volunteer day at Two Bridges site and booth at Barclays Center game. Team has supported Heart of Dinner for years.
• Glow RecipecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate volunteer days decorating notes, illustrating bags, and assembling nearly 200 care packages. Has been a steady supporter for years.
• Lawyers Alliance for New YorkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides critical legal counsel since 2020. Connected organization with pro bono support from Brown Rudnick, Gunderson Dettmer, Dechert, and Fried Frank.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Project Renewal: NYC nonprofit serving homeless and low-income populations including seniors via meal programs and supportive services — comparable target demographic (vulnerable NYC residents) and food service delivery model, though broader mission scope.
• Chinatown Community Development Center: San Francisco-based organization serving the Chinese American community with housing, economic development, and elder services — comparable culturally specific service model for Asian American elders, primarily in a different metro than Heart of Dinner's NYC/LA footprint.
• Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC): NYC-area social services organization serving Korean American families and seniors — comparable culturally specific service model for an Asian American population facing linguistic and cultural barriers to mainstream services.

Direct peers

• Meals on Wheels America: National umbrella organization supporting a network of local programs that deliver meals to seniors in their homes — directly comparable mission (home meal delivery to elders) with comparable volunteer-driven logistics, though serving a general (non-culturally specific) beneficiary base.
• Tzu Chi USA: U.S. arm of the international Buddhist humanitarian organization running culturally tailored food distribution programs for low-income and immigrant communities — peer in combining cultural competency with food assistance for vulnerable populations.
• City Harvest: NYC's largest food rescue organization addressing food insecurity through food distribution and mobile pantries — peer in mission (combating food insecurity in NYC) and beneficiary population (low-income communities), though distribution model and cultural specificity differ.
• Asian American Federation: NYC-based umbrella organization advocating for and supporting Asian American communities through research, grants, and capacity-building — comparable cultural focus on Asian American welfare and direct service orientation in the same geography.
• God's Love We Deliver: NYC-based nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers medically tailored meals to people living with serious illness, including seniors — closely aligned mission of culturally appropriate home meal delivery with comparable volunteer engagement and partner-chef model.

Broad incumbents

• WhyHunger: National nonprofit working to end hunger and build community-based solutions — broader incumbent in the food-insecurity space with comparable grassroots, community-led program model and donor-driven revenue.
• Food Bank for New York City: Major NYC hunger-relief organization providing food assistance across boroughs — broader incumbent in the same fight against food insecurity in NYC, with a wider beneficiary scope and significantly larger operational scale than Heart of Dinner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/heartofdinner
• Instagraminstagram.com/heartofdinner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartofdinner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heart of Dinner