The Eastside Potluck Society is a volunteer group serving bi-monthly meals on Monroe Avenue in Rochester, New York.
The food we serve is prepared by volunteers in their home kitchens or donated by different sources, mainly the Gudawara (Sikh Temple) of Rochester. We rely on community support – none of this is possible without you!
Our core group of volunteers are Asian diaspora folks. We reject the narratives of white supremacy that have tried to define, diminish, and isolate us from each other, choosing to come together to learn and transform.
Who we are:
- We aim to fill service gaps in tandem with other food service groups in town
- We hope to break cultural barriers surrounding food insecurity and food access. Everyone deserves to eat with dignity and food should be available for all without stipulations.
- We value learning together and mobilizing our beloved Rochester AAPI community towards collective liberation. By healing our traumas, nurturing our collective courage, and tackling “tough topics” —such as colorism and anti-blackness, appropriation, patriarchy, proximity to whiteness, and other internalized colonial mindsets and how these can show in our Asian diaspora community— we build alongside the legacies of abolitionist visionaries who came before us.
While we prioritize the voices of Indigenous, Black, Asian, and People of the Global Majority, anyone is welcome to join and can contribute in many ways. Reach out to us with your ideas – we want to grow together with you.