During the COVID-19 pandemic, Old First opened its doors and offered the use of our kitchen and adjoining spaces for emergency relief for the second time since 2012. 

During the pandemic,  Brooklyn Relief Kitchen moved in. But first, there was the Hurricane Sandy Relief Kitchen, founded by restaurant-industry professionals to tackle food insecurity in the wake of the storm in November 2012. Volunteers lead by chefs Andy and Piper Wandzilak, organized cooking and delivery of meals and groceries to those in need. From November until summer 2013, volunteers cooked and delivered 200,000+ meals plus tons of groceries to areas affected throughout Brooklyn. Early in the effort, clothing and household goods were collected and distributed. The sanctuary’s closure pre-renovations made this possible – a silver lining after the collapse of our ceiling.

The second iteration of relief, renamed Brooklyn Relief Kitchen (BRK), was rapidly reinstituted and deployed in May 2020 by the Wandzilaks, just as layoffs and homelessness were skyrocketing during Covid-19’s first wave. The early planning and transition story can be found on Sandy Relief Kitchen’s Facebook page. Once again, this organization has done an incredible job feeding hungry Brooklynites in many parts of the boro.  In the first two weeks of operation, BRK supplied over 2000 meals. This past year, they prepared 1,500 fresh cooked meals and packed hundreds of produce and pantry relief boxes per week in support of neighboring partners; existing food pantries, soup kitchens and local community organizations. Visit BRK’s website here, Facebook page here.

For over three decades, Old First has partnered with local soup kitchen and social service provider CHiPS (Community Help in Park Slope). Volunteers gather in our kitchen monthly to cook and deliver home-cooked meals to CHiPS on Fourth Avenue. In addition, every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we bring grocery bags to our worship service, brimming with food, to donate to their pantry. CHiPS feeds the hungry in their Fourth Avenue store front and shelters homeless young women and their infants in CHiPS’ Frances Residence. You can learn more about CHiPS here.

Donate to the Old First Mission Fund

Donate Online
If you would like to donate to our missions, click the green GIVE button at the bottom of this page to be transferred to the Tithe.ly webpage. A short signup will be required if this is your first visit. Be sure to select “Mission” in the drop-down menu after the amount and please consider checking the box to cover fees.

Send a Check
You may also donate by sending a check to the church office: Old First Reformed Church, c/o Maureen Doyle, 729 Carroll Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, and note “Mission” on the check’s memo line. Please contact us if you need help.