08/18/2021
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden
Thanks to everyone who has followed along these last couple days as we’ve shared the stories of Grandma Dawn and ‘Mr. Tony’ Hillery of Harlem Grown. I never intended these two stories to be told together. But the connective tissue is obvious: they both are on a mission to help the children in Harlem. There are currently thousands of Harlem children living in shelters. 115,000 city-wide. ‘It’s an epidemic,’ says Tony. ‘An invisible epidemic.’ Grandma Dawn’s dream is to reach every one of these children with books. And Tony’s dream is to reach every one of these children with healthy food and nutrition. Yesterday they came together in a beautiful collaboration. Tony offered to build six small libraries for Grandma Dawn on his urban farms across Harlem. Grandma will curate and stock the libraries from her collection of 25,000 books. She wants to focus on biographical books especially—so the children can see themselves in the characters: “uplifting, positive stories of people who overcome obstacles and do great things.” With your help, we’ve just raised over $300,000 for that mission. Grandma has requested that all further funds go toward Tony’s dream of building a Mobile Teaching Kitchen. Tony is now able to connect with 8% of Harlem’s children with his urban farms. But he wants to reach them all. For each additional $200,000 raised, Tony will be able to staff and supply the Mobile Teaching Kitchen for an entire year, as it provides healthy food and education programs across Harlem. Thanks to everyone who has engaged with these stories, and especially to those who have stepped up to empower these two individuals. And to Tony and Grandma—thank you for providing us with this model of community during a trying time. I encourage everyone to read their stories for a dose of inspiration. And if you would like to contribute to their mission, you may contribute here: https://bit.ly/grandmapromise
