The ESI Design team may have spent the afternoon of July 17 playing games in the summer sun, but it was our morning spent hard at work giving back to the community that made our 2019 ESI DOES celebration special.

Divided into four teams, we worked with organizations that aim poverty and food insecurity in New York City. We split up to travel to our respective organizations — CityMeals (the NYC chapter of Meals on Wheels), City Harvest, Little Essentials, and Foodbank NYC — then met up in Central Park to host a birthday picnic for our Founder and Principal Designer, Edwin Schlossberg.

Team CityMeals

Working with the NYC chapter of Meals on Wheels to provide nutritious meals to elderly or homebound NYC residents, thirteen ESI Design team members travelled to Union Settlement Corsi Senior Center to help address hunger and isolation.

“Service initiatives on any scale only succeed thanks to volunteering. You make relief a reality when you join the effort.”

Nick Hubbard, CityMeals volunteer.

Team City Harvest

Working straight out of the ESI Design studio, team members measured, cut and constructed mesh strips into bags to be used for produce donations to City Harvest.

“Apart from giving back to our community, this volunteering was an opportunity to collaborate with my co-workers including some that I don’t work with on a normal basis. I think these kind of activities create a better bond between the staff.”

Mana Mohammadkhani, City Harvest Volunteer

Team Little Essentials

Nine ESI Design team members worked with Little Essentials, a NYC-based nonprofit that provides assistance to children living in poverty.

“I chose little essentials because it is a fairly new grassroots organization giving direct assistance to those in need. Find a group of friends or coworkers to pitch in with, either by starting a drive or signing up somewhere. You’re better together!”

Jonathan Grimm, Little Essentials Volunteer

Team Foodbank NYC

Clad in close-toed shoes and sleeved shirts — contrary to the day’s soaring temperatures — for food safety, six ESI Design team members helped prepare meals at Foodbank NYC.

“Pick an organization you connect with and choose projects for them that are really helpful and play to your strengths/skill sets. Maybe you want to help with fundraising, maybe you want to help unload boxes from a truck.”

Stefany Koslow, Foodbank NYC Volunteer

The Picnic

Once we completed our work at our respective volunteering locations, we met in Central Park for an afternoon of games and birthday celebrations for our founder. We spent time bonding over games, food and relaxation, as well as comparing notes on our volunteer work!

“I loved everything about yesterday: helping a great organization, seeing how they operate and the people they serve. Also, I was really proud of how hard all of us ESI-ers worked! No slackers, everyone with an amazing attitude to maximize our time there.”

Stefany Koslow