Nico Navab, who grew up in New York City and turned 17 a few weeks ago, spent the past summer volunteering with Met Council, America’s largest Jewish charity dedicated to fighting poverty. His job was to deliver food to elderly people who were unable to leave their homes due to the pandemic. Most of the food being delivered was shelf stable items like canned vegetables, which left him wishing there were a way to add fresh baked goods to each delivery. It wasn’t possible to do this with the Met Council deliveries, but the idea became the inspiration for BakeNYC!

Nico started contacting local bakeries and asked them to donate bread and other baked goods or sell them to him at a discount to feed people in need.

“Bread is a staple of life and an important part of fighting food insecurity,” Nico shared. “But it is also a part of how different cultures come together and celebrate. I wanted to honor the city’s cultural diversity.”

Both faith and culture played a huge role for Nico, whose ancestry is half Greek and half Persian. One side of his family fled the Iranian revolution and grew up in New York City as immigrants. He wanted to honor immigrants and their culture as a part of what he was doing.

He grew up seeing food and community service as intertwined, having packed food at Yorkville Common Shelter and later preparing dinner for NCS residents as part of Brick Church’s Wednesday Night Dinner Program. These experiences also provided BakeNYC’s volunteer delivery staff.

“I grew up at Brick Church. My friends are also members there and that’s who offered to help me with this new endeavor.”

In Nico’s search for bakeries, he wanted to make sure to include stores that would cater to different audiences and celebrate their cultures. He picks up challahs at a kosher bakery and delivers them to Holocaust survivors and traditional Greek pastries that go to a Greek church for their members in need. BakeNYC delivers to a non-profit organization helping Latino children in Harlem and a Muslim Community Center in Brooklyn.

He is now regularly delivering to six organizations (see full list of bakeries and recipient organizations below), including Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter! BakeNYC donated cookies and muffins to our residents before Thanksgiving and Christmas last year and now donates fresh baked goods each month. The clients are already excited for the cookies they’ll enjoy soon for Greek Easter.

BakeNYC’s delicious fresh baked goods do more than ease hunger. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our formerly homeless residents have struggled with loneliness and isolation,” NCS CEO Ann Shalof shared. “These donations reminded them that they have a community that cares, remembers them and is there for them. We are so fortunate to be a recipient of BakeNYC’s generosity.”

And Nico does this all while still in high school. Thank You Nico!

BAKERIES

Unica Cafe and Bakery, Jersey City | launicabakery.com
Weiss Kosher Bakery, Brooklyn | Weisskosherbakery.com
Yaya’s Bakery, Queens | @yayabakeryastoria
Eleni’s Cookies (peanut free bakery) NYC | elenis.com

DISTRIBUTION

Nico Navab Creates a Sweeter NYC