Before the pandemic, Yin Chang was a successful actress and host of the popular podcast, “88 Cups of Tea." 

Moonlynn Tsai was a restauranteur, helping to bring many of the city’s eateries to a whole new level of success.

When COVID hit, the pair decided they needed to do something to help those in the Asian American community who were suffering most.  \They saw the acts of violence against Asians, especially Asian seniors, but they also knew this: despite what we think we know from the “Model Minority Myth," the fact is that one in four Asians in New York live below the poverty line. 

That is especially true for seniors, who, because of pride or language and cultural obstacles, my not reach out for the help they need.

Chang and Tsia formed “Heart of Dinner," an organization that feeds Asian seniors who desperately need help, and it does so much more. 

They joined In Focus to talk about the origins of Heart of Dinner, when they prepared 200 meals in their own kitchens and delivered them to seniors in Chinatown. They now serve 1,500 seniors in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. But it’s about more than food, it’s about piercing the isolation felt most keenly by the senior community and showing them, as Chang says, “we see you and we love you." 

Volunteers around the world create beautiful illustrations on each and every Heart of Dinner bag, and write personal notes several Asian languages, which are included with each bag.

They celebrate the fact that they have broken the 70,000 mark in meals served, and their goal is to serve 250,0000, or more, well beyond the end of the pandemic. And, they work with local food providers, helping many of them to survive the pandemic.