Out & About
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
City Harvest’s Collection ‘Plate’
The ladies at City Harvest’s “On Your Plate” fund-raiser Tuesday at the Pierre all shared at least one thing in common: a love of food.
The orzo, chicken, and white asparagus disappeared quickly from plates, as did the éclairs and chocolate-covered strawberries — even though a dermatologist, Dr. Ellen Gendler, told guests that chocolate can cause acne.
“I am passionate about food, so City Harvest and I were a perfect fit,” the founder of the event, Joy Ingham, who was honored, said. Ms. Ingham is secretary of the organization’s board.
Now in its 25th year, City Harvest’s food rescue operation collects 20 million pounds of excess food from restaurants, grocers, and farms, and delivers it to more than 600 community food programs in New York City.
One such program is a choice pantry at the Full Gospel Tabernacle of Faith Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
“Individuals walk in and choose the food they need,” the church’s executive director, Pastor Melanie Samuels, who was also honored, said.
The pantry’s clients are particularly happy when they see certain items delivered from City Harvest trucks: fresh fruit and vegetables, peanuts, and honey.
Maintaining perspective is one of the reasons restaurateur Donatella Arpaia — the woman behind Donatella & Burke and Anthos — got involved in City Harvest.
“My job is not just about feeding the wealthy. I always need to remind myself that food is a cause.”
Doing Good by Shopping Well
Bloomingdale’s is favorite place for Upper East Siders to spend money. But recently it has become a favorite place for them to raise money as well.
The department store pulled out all the stops to host a fundraising event for the New York University Child Study Center, creating a fashion show in the middle of the furniture department, complete with a runway, hip disc jockey, feather-covered walls, and skinny models, as well as an elegant dining room in the middle of its designer boutiques.
The fashion show presented a Chanel resort collection. Conveniently, the luncheon took place alongside the Chanel boutique.
Bloomingdale’s didn’t place any pressure on guests to purchase clothing, but the idea of shopping had been suggested in the invitation, which stated that the store would donate 10% of that day’s designer boutique sales to the child study center.
In an e-mail that went out before the event, the chairman of the Child Study Center, Brooke Neidich, also gave invitees a gentle prod: “I realize that many of you may have to leave after lunch to pick up your children from school and won’t have enough time to shop. Bloomingdale’s is pleased to offer their best personal shoppers to help you make your selections and do some preshopping for you.”
Two of the shoppers that day were the event’s chairwomen, Marcia Mishaan and Claude Wasserstein, whose purchases will help the center provide treatment of psychiatric disorders to children and adolescents.
