We think Black History Month is not only about the past. It is also about the Black leaders right now who are building a world where everyone eats with dignity.

This year, we chose to highlight a handful of Black-led and youth-led groups in our region whose work lines up with our own mission: getting good food to people who need it, treating everyone with respect, and showing that you are never too young (or too small) to make a difference.

Our spotlight list stretches from Philadelphia and Chester to Baltimore and Brooklyn, and then comes right back home to Wilmington and Newark. These are neighbors in our wider community, all fighting hunger in creative and courageous ways.

Below is the article version of what we are sharing on social media all month long. Feel free to explore their work, follow them, and use their stories as fuel for your own.

Everybody Eats: Chefs Turning A Food Hall Into A Hunger Solution

Everybody Eats Foundation grew out of a group of Black chefs who refused to watch their neighbors go hungry. They started by hosting pop-up events in parking lots and neighborhoods, serving chef-cooked meals to people facing food insecurity and homelessness around Philly.

Their work eventually found a home at a collaborative space in Chester, where the movement set up inside a food hall and later launched Everybody Eats Cafe, a Black-owned cafe feeding local families and reinvesting back into their nonprofit mission. The idea is simple: use a business that sells great food to help fund work that gives great food away.

Why we are lifting them up:

• They show how professional skills in the kitchen can become a powerful tool to fight hunger.
• They treat community members like guests, not charity cases.
• They are close by in Chester, which makes them feel like cousins to us here in Delaware.

For our 3B kids and supporters, Everybody Eats is a reminder that you can take something you love, like cooking, and aim it straight at a real problem.

Youth Food Security Network: Teens Leading An Online Food Pantry

Youth Food Security Network (YFSN) is exactly what it sounds like: a group of young people in Baltimore who decided they were not going to wait for adults to fix teen hunger.

Working with HeartSmiles and No Kid Hungry, they launched a youth-led virtual food pantry. Teen leaders like Autumn, Don, and Mya helped design surveys, pick grocery items, and get funding so that families could order food that fits their culture and needs and have it delivered right to their door.

Why we are lifting them up:

• They prove that teenagers can design serious, thoughtful solutions to food insecurity.
• They are honest about their own experiences with hunger and use that lived knowledge as expertise.
• They remind our 3B crew that if you understand a problem, you are allowed to lead the way in solving it.

When we talk to students, we love pointing to YFSN and saying, “Look, this is what happens when young people are trusted with real responsibility.”

The Campaign Against Hunger: From One Mom To Millions Of Meals

In The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH), we see what long-term, Black-led food justice looks like.

More than twenty years ago, Dr. Melony Samuels responded to one mom in her Brooklyn church who was trying to feed four children. That church pantry grew into a full community program serving 50 families. Today, TCAH is one of New York City’s major food access organizations, providing tens of millions of nutritious meals through pantries, farms, mobile markets, and benefits support.

In 2024, Dr. Samuels was formally recognized as CEO and Founder of TCAH, honoring her decades of leadership in food and health equity in New York.

Why we are lifting them up:

• Their story shows how something very small and local can grow over time into a life-changing safety net.
• They combine emergency food with deeper advocacy, asking why so many families need food lines in the first place.
• As a Black woman-led effort, they are a powerful example for kids who want to connect service with systems change.

For our 3B community, TCAH is a reminder that handing someone a bag of food is important, and so is fighting for a world where that bag is not needed.

Black Mothers In Power: Feeding The Village While Fighting For Maternal Justice

Black Mothers in Power (BMIP) is a Delaware-based group that focuses on Black maternal health and justice. Part of that work is making sure Black mothers and families have consistent access to healthy food.

At their BMIP Center in Wilmington, they run:

• A 24/7 community fridge where anyone can take what they need, no questions asked.
• A Relief Fund & Food Program that provides groceries, baby food, and essentials for families who are struggling.

Why we are lifting them up:

• They connect food to maternal health, showing that caring for moms means feeding the whole family.
• They are right here in our own state, so their work feels very close to home.
• Their community fridge is a concrete example of neighbors sharing with neighbors in a way that protects dignity.

As a Delaware nonprofit, we are proud to stand alongside BMIP and point young people toward their model of Black women-led, community-rooted care.

Humbly Assisting Humanity: Fighting Hunger One Meal At A Time

Humbly Assisting Humanity (HAH) is another Delaware effort we love. Founded by Shantel Love and her family, HAH has a clear mission: eliminate disparities in hunger by providing food, essentials, and resources to underserved neighbors across our state.

They have served thousands of meals in Newark and Wilmington through community cookouts, monthly outreach, and events such as “Pancakes & PJs,” which wrap families in comfort and care. Their fundraising materials say it plainly: every gift helps put food on the table one meal and one act of kindness at a time.

Why we are lifting them up:

• They are a family-founded, Black-led organization, much like 3B, which started from a kid and his family wanting to help.
• They mix joy and fun with serious work, showing that justice can take the form of pancakes and smiles.
• They focus on eliminating disparities, not just filling plates, which matches our belief that every community deserves the same chance to thrive.

We see HAH as proof that a small team of committed neighbors truly can move the needle on hunger right where they live.

Free Food For All Delaware: Dignity, Culture, And Chef Made Meals

Free Food For All Delaware (FFFA) was created by Chef Jamilah Abdullah after she experienced traditional food assistance that felt low quality and disconnected from her communitys needs.

Instead of accepting that, she started hosting free community meals that are farm fresh, Halal, and culturally grounded. FFFA serves restaurant style dishes at no cost, often in partnership with local farms and markets, and sometimes fills community fridges with extra portions so nothing is wasted.

Why we are lifting them up:

• They show that people who are hungry deserve beautiful, thoughtfully prepared food, not just leftovers.
• They name and challenge “food apartheid” and food deserts, especially in Black communities.
• They model mutual aid, where everyone gives and receives over time, which is a powerful lesson for young volunteers.

For kids in 3B, FFFA sends a clear message: food is about respect and community, not only survival.

Why These Stories Matter For 3B

So why did we choose these particular groups for Black History Month? A few reasons:

• They are Black-led or youth-led. Black leadership in food justice has always been vital, and these groups are carrying that history forward in the present.
• They are close enough to feel real. From Chester and Philly to Baltimore, Brooklyn, Wilmington, and Newark, these are places our kids know and visit.
• They represent many different ways to fight hunger. Chefs, moms, teens, pastors, families, mutual aid crews, and big nonprofits are all part of this picture.

For us at 3B, Black History Month is an invitation to honor this leadership and to ask, gently but clearly:

What part can I play?

How You Can Get Involved, At Any Age

Here are a few simple ideas you can try after reading about these amazing groups:

• Follow and share. Follow these organizations on social media, like their posts, and share their work with your friends and family. Awareness really does matter.
• Support if you are able. If your family or school can donate, even a little, consider giving to one of these groups as a Black History Month action.
• Volunteer locally. Look for chances to help right here in Delaware, including with community fridges, food drives, or events run by the groups above.
• Start something small. You do not have to build a giant nonprofit to make a difference. A class snack shelf, a school garden, a mini pantry at your church, or packing bags with us can all be powerful.

The hunger fighters we are spotlighting this month are proof that caring about people and taking one brave step can turn into something much bigger over time.

From our little corner at 3B, we are grateful to learn from them, cheer them on, and invite you to join in. Black history is being written in food lines, community fridges, and crowded kitchens every single day. You are very welcome to be part of it.