We love a good origin story, tell us about how the food pantry got started - who, what, when, where, why?
Pre-Pandemic, Sasha and Mammad, our co-founders and NY Cosmos supporters, volunteered at a soup kitchen in Ridgewood, Queens. They witnessed firsthand the socio-economic gaps that Queens residents were facing. When the pandemic began in NYC, it hit East Elmhurst, Queens the hardest. Our Queens neighbors were living in “the epicenter within the epicenter” and their community, already facing significant financial challenges, was devastated.

What Sasha and Mammad quickly realized though, is that Queens seemed a world away from their life in the East Village, so they decided to build a bridge between the two neighborhoods: East Village (EV) Loves Queens was born. Without hesitation, our friend, Ali Sahin, generously offered the keys to his café, C&B on East 7th Street, and we started cooking. With the help of local neighbors and Cosmos supporters from across all 5 boroughs, we collected donations during the day and cooked in the evenings. Our first day cooking, we made 600 meals that were distributed throughout Queens.

By the summer, EV Loves QNS formed another local partnership thanks to Howard Brandstein from Sixth Street Community Center. At Cafe C&B we were able to cook 600 meals a day; with the new space, we began to cook 4000 meals in one day. As we grew, friends of friends came out to support our Love Kitchen. More hands, meant even more meals. Now, our home-cooked and gourmet-level meals were being requested all around the city -- from shelters, to hospitals, to schools, no one was left unaffected by the dire demands of the pandemic. By the end of the first year of operation, we delivered food to over 25 organizations across NYC and as far east as Long Island. We were now EV Loves NYC.

EV Loves NYC is not your average soup kitchen and food pantry. Not only do we place the dignity of every person we serve above all else, but we simultaneously infuse cultural diversity into each and every recipe we prepare. Our stellar team of volunteer chefs from all around the world, spend hours each week creatively brainstorming and meticulously executing unique menus inspired by their families, cultures and nations of origin -- no two have been the same yet! Each meal reflects the vibrant cosmopolitanism that makes NYC, well, NYC. Each week, we make vegetarian, vegan and meat dishes that are sensitive to cultural and religious needs. The food that we cook is restaurant-quality, nutritious, and varied. The attention to detail every step of the way -- from planning, prepping, cooking, and packaging -- is done with the amount of love reminiscent of a holiday meal with friends and family. If that isn’t remarkable enough, the EV Loves team has learned to do all this on a very minimal budget. Each of our nutritious meals averages just under 85 cents.

At what point did you think of getting together as a soccer team? Is this just for fun or to help the food pantry in another way?
Soccer has been a part of EV<3NYC from its inception. Throughout the pandemic, the NY Cosmos Supporters Collective became a compassionate army, unifying the NY Cosmos front office, Cosmos players and soccer fans across the city to aid in this beautiful cause. We have had the privilege of hosting Celtic Supporters, Roma Ultras, PSG fans and a former SC Freiburg goalkeeper in our love kitchen. The most notable player to help us address food insecurity in NYC was Vincenzo Candela. Alongside his partner, Taylor, he spent many weekends preparing meals and helping to support the community.

The NY Cosmos Supporters Collective has resolved to be an agent of positive change in all that we do in our local neighborhoods. The EV<3NYC Football Club is a way for our volunteers to wave this banner of cosmopolitan love beyond our kitchen. As a creative and athletic outlet, the EV<3NYC team is not only cultivating camaraderie, but building even more bridges across our communities.

What league do you play in and what helped you make that decision? Because larger leagues can give bigger platforms, any thoughts on moving up as you get more experienced?
We endeavor to combine our passion for soccer with our compassionate commitment to support our communities. EV<3NYC FC is currently in communication with a NYC based league that has a similar, community-based vision.

We are absolute nerds for soccer swag - do you have any scarves or kits for sale? If so, where can we get one and if not what can we do to help?
Yes! Here is a link to our incredible merch designed by one of our volunteers. You can purchase t-shirts, hats, and our jersey -- all proceeds go directly to ingredients each week. In the near future, we expect to have scarves, as well. People who live in NYC, or surrounding suburban areas, can join our compassionate army any Sunday at the Sixth Street Community Center in the East Village, just sign up here. For those who cannot come cook with us, social media support is always appreciated. You can follow us on Instagram (@evlovesnyc).

5. When do you play next and how can we follow the team?
We plan on playing this upcoming Spring season. Team updates can be found on the EV<3NYC instagram account (@evlovesnyc).