Drive Change

Great food with a better purpose. 🍽️💚

Looking for catering for your next event? Hire Drive Change Foods and bring fresh, flavorful food to the table while supporting career pathways for justice-involved young people in NYC.

From boxed lunches at conferences, to full buffets at galas, our menu can fit any style of event or celebration. Our team is ready to make sure your next gathering is one to remember.

Inquire today ⬇️
https://forms.monday.com/forms/c5ce9934da43d97c345ebbb1731d43c7?r=use1

Our Spring Cohort is putting in WORK in the kitchen 👨🏾‍🍳🔥

Subscribe to our newsletter to get some stories of our fellows, early invites to events, news about the food truck launch, and more! ⬇️
https://drivechangenyc.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c322ff2e3826dfa4c499e5ba9&id=ed446a8f13

Mental health in restaurants, let's talk about it. 💚

Restaurant work can be physically and emotionally demanding. Long hours, high-pressure environments, and the intensity of service can take a real toll. According to The Burnt Chef Project, 80% of hospitality workers have experienced mental health challenges related to their role.

At Drive Change, we work at the intersection of reentry and hospitality, supporting justice-impacted young people, many of whom are already navigating trauma, anxiety, and depression. This is why our team is trained in Healing-Centered Engagement, and mental health support is woven throughout both our kitchen and classroom programming. We’re also proud to partner with NYC Affirmative Psychotherapy to provide our fellows and alumni with access to counselors who specialize in supporting historically marginalized communities.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re reminding our community that care, support, and healing are essential ingredients for a successful career in hospitality. 👨🏾‍🍳✨

Support our mission ⬇️
https://secure.qgiv.com/for/drivechangedonate/

Applications for our Summer Cohort are officially OPEN!

Ready to build your future in the hospitality and culinary industry? Drive Change’s Culinary Training Fellowship program offers paid hands-on culinary training, career development, mentorship, industry certifications, and more. 👨🏾‍🍳

To apply, you must be:
✔️ Age 18–25
✔️ Justice-involved
✔️ New York Resident
✔️ Interested in food + hospitality!

📅 Applications close June 15th.

Learn more and apply ⬇️
https://drivechangenyc.org/training-

"What if instead of punishing people who've been broken many times over, we helped to heal them?"

In Hawaii, an all-women’s court is taking a unique healing-centered approach to justice. The court called Mohala Wahine ("Blossoming Woman") looks to holistically address women into the system: trauma, poverty, addiction, housing instability, and abuse.

Instead of focusing only on punishment, the program connects women with therapy, education, job training, housing support, parenting resources, and community care, helping rebuild lives and keep families together.

At Drive Change, we believe real public safety comes from investing in people, creating pathways to stability, and building systems rooted in dignity and opportunity. Stories like these remind us that when people are supported instead of discarded, transformation is possible. 💚

🔗 Read the article:

Opinion | A Quietly Radical Experiment in Criminal Justice Hawaii might have the answer.

We had the opportunity to speak with NYU graduate students in the inaugural Social Entrepreneurship class through the NYU School of Professional Studies.

We covered our culinary training program, community hunger relief efforts, and how to build a social enterprise from the ground up.

It’s inspiring to speak with students who are interested in building their own social enterprises that prioritize people over profit. It’s a reminder that the future is in good hands.

Thanks for having us ! 👏

Our 2025 Annual Report is here. 💚

This past year was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when young people are given access to opportunities they were previously barred from.

From our kitchen to stable career pathways, our fellows are carving their own path in the industry that is the backbone of New York City.

Every milestone achieved by our fellows and alumni would not be possible without our partners, funders, and supporters. Thank you for being in our corner.

Take a look at the numbers, the stories, and the growth that defined the last year at Drive Change.

Read the full report ⬇️https://drivechangenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Drive-Change-2025-Impact-Report.pdf

This new report from The Sentencing Project highlights what it really looks like to come home after decades of incarceration. Returning citizens have to navigate a world that has completely changed, often without basic resources, structural support, or a clear path forward.

In 2023, more than 450,000 people returned home from prison, and immediately faced barriers to employment, housing, and technology, making stability near impossible.

At Drive Change, we work to address barriers to employment, but the needs of any returning citizen extend beyond any one organization.

One's reentry journey shouldn't fall solely on their shoulders. It's on all of us to ensure support systems are built in at the institutional and community levels.

🔗 Read the full report: https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/learning-life-all-over-again-reentry-after-long-term-imprisonment/

Learning life all over again: Reentry after long-term imprisonment – The Sentencing Project Reentry report highlights the experiences and challenges of 33 formerly incarcerated people released after decades of imprisonment.