Victor Rivera: Former homeless black man becomes CEO & restaurant owner, serves free food
- Victor Rivera is the CEO of Bronx Parent Housing Network and owner of Loving Arms Soup Kitchen
- The former homeless man opened his eatery to serve warm meals to the deprived on January 1, 2020
- Rivera receives support from an anonymous donor and the city council
Manhattan’s Loving Arms Soup Kitchen owner, Victor Rivera, who once struggled with homelessness is using his past hardships to help others move forward, by providing free warm meals to the needy in his community.
Resident in Bronx, Rivera, opened the doors of his eatery to welcome the public in with open arms this New Year’s Day, January 1, 2020.
His struggling past enables him to connect to the issues of the deprived because he was once living in the same condition.
Rivera knows "what it is to be hungry" and "what it is to be homeless" and understands what it is to be judged in the greatest city in the world.
Rivera is now the president and CEO of social services organization, the Bronx Parent Housing Network.
Before that, he was homeless, incarcerated, and even illiterate.
Since getting back on his feet, Rivera has made it a life-long mission to make sure no one has to go through similar pain.
The brand new soup kitchen sits on First Avenue in between East 85th and 86th Streets on the Upper East Side.
It will be open for lunch and dinner every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, serving hot, healthy meals and drinks.
Rivera says the majority of the clients are not homeless but food insecure, struggling due to the city’s high cost of living. He expects to serve as many as 200 pre-packaged meals every week.
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The location and food were funded in part by an anonymous donor. It’s also being supported by the city council and, as of now, is funded through the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that an American musician, Jon Bon Jovi, opened the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a restaurant where people in need are not charged for the food they eat.
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Joseph Omotayo (HOD Human-Interest) Joseph Omotayo has been writing for the human interest desk since 2019 and is currently the head of the desk. He graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, with a degree in Literature in English in 2016. He once worked for Afridiaspora, OlisaTV & CLR. He is a 2022/2023 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking fellow. He can be reached via: joseph.omotayo@corp.legit.ng.
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