Kensington Mother And Son Aim To Expand Their Efforts To Feed The City’s Homeless

When Kensington neighbor Michelle Carrera and her son, Ollie, realized that the city’s soup kitchens didn’t offer meat-less options, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Beginning last November, the mom and son duo hit their kitchen and started making vegan chili to bring to homeless individuals living on the streets in Kensington as part of their newfound Chilis on Wheels initiative. Their efforts were more than well-received, and the two quickly realized that there was enough of a need that they could easily distribute their chili on a monthly basis – and in areas beyond Kensington.

Michelle and Ollie, who’s now four years old, started bringing their chili to people in Kensington and the Lower East Side, including Union Square – and now the two are hoping to expand their program to a weekly effort by raising money through this crowdfunding site.

We wanted to learn more about the good deeds of our neighbors, and Michelle graciously responded to our questions about Chilis on Wheels.

Tell us about Chilis on Wheels! How/when did this all begin?

Chilis on Wheels brings vegan chilis to people in the streets in need of a warm meal. The program started in November of 2014 as my son and I were looking for a soup kitchen to volunteer in. A vegan family, we could not find a soup kitchen that accommodated our ethical principles, so I took it upon myself to cook chili and distribute them out myself. So moved by the experience, and face to face with the look of hunger and homelessness, my son and I have returned and committed ourselves to provide greater help.

Are you from Kensington – or, if not, how did you decide to start doing this in the neighborhood? Where in Kensington do you go to distribute the chili?

We live in Kensington, and we scour the streets looking for people who need a warm meal. Then we take the train to Manhattan and continue distributing there. Starting on February 28th, and as a result of the crowdfunding campaign, we will also set up a table in a park so people can come to us as well, and we can reach those that are not necessarily homeless but who are hungry and in need of a meal.

What kind of response do you get from people who are living on the street?

Everyone has been very receptive. One dear man calls me “The Chili Lady.” Everyone is warm and the interactions leave me and my son very warm.

You’re distributing the chili now on a monthly basis, is that right? Where all do you go in the city?

Right now we are distributing once a month but starting on February 28th, and as a result of the crowdfunding campaign we will start distributing on a weekly basis. We take the train to Union Square and start walking from there, looking in the parks but also the surrounding streets.

What has this experience taught you and your son?

We want this to be a family program. Kids need to volunteer in their community on a regular basis so that it becomes second nature to them and it is a part of their lives as adults. The experience is always warm. I have seen Ollie develop initiative, he distributes the waters out of his own volition. He likes to help and connect with the people that we see. And my heart grows everytime we go out there.

When we started doing this I had no idea about the scope of homelessness or hunger. After that first day, I started educating myself and learned that 1 in 6 Americans struggle with hunger. Twenty percent of households with children are food insecure. Those numbers tell me hunger goes beyond homelessness, so we want to set up a table in a park to have people come to us. People who might not be homeless. but who are hungry and need of a meal.

You make the chili yourself? How long does that take? Do you use one recipe or different ones?

We make the chili ourselves. It takes about three hours. I have been vegan since 2001 and throughout the years have developed my own kind of vegan chili recipe. We do not make it spicy in consideration for people’s tastes and health concerns.

What’s your dream when it comes to Chilis on Wheels? Can you imagine this becoming a daily effort?

My dream is to have our own space where we can cook and serve people, and keep the teams of runners that search for people on a daily basis. The need is there. And when we see a need, we must do what we can to fill it. I was not planning on any of this, but once I was there, I couldn’t turn away. We like to talk about a better world – well, a better world starts with us!

For more information about Chilis on Wheels, you can visit their website and Facebook page. To learn more about donating to their fundraising campaign, you can visit their website here.