Today, I wanted to break from sharing why I love Organic Erotic so much. Or talking about how giving gifts from OE is an incredible experience. Or how we truly believe that home is the foundation of your health.
Today, I want to tell you about something very close to my heart and also how I came to start Organic Erotic.
Refettorio Harlem is a nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness through restaurant-style meals. It is the only restaurant-style nonprofit in NYC, offering three-course dinners in a beautiful, warm space. No lines. No trays. Just dignity, love, and a seat at the table.
In 2021, I moved to New York City to help my friend Rachael start Refettorio Harlem. She had the vision: a restaurant that serves three-course meals, plated and presented with the same care you would receive anywhere else in the city. Meanwhile, we had no space, no food, and no clear way forward. Just the two of us standing on a street corner, staring at each other while I said, “This is impossible.”
We started with five burritos on the street each week. Five.
But slowly, we grew.
We found a space. We lost the space. We moved. We adjusted. We kept going.
We served 50 people, then 60, then 100.
Week after week, we kept showing up.
Today, Refettorio Harlem has a permanent home, a real kitchen, a beautiful dining room, and a community that knows they have a place to come to twice a week, a place where they are seen and cared for. A place that feels, even for a moment, like home.
And Refettorio Harlem is also where my life changed in a way I never expected. It was through volunteering there that I met Joanna.
We were both doing the work, cooking, plating, cleaning, serving. We did not meet in a boardroom or at a networking event. We met in the middle of service, handing plates to one another in a tiny kitchen, learning each other’s rhythms, building trust in real time. That is where our friendship started, and that is where the seeds of Organic Erotic were planted.
We came together through service, through caring for others, through wanting to create beauty in the world, and that eventually became Organic Erotic.
Refettorio Harlem is my heart. One of the reasons we moved Organic Erotic back to New York was so that I could continue volunteering, serving, and caring for the people who come through those doors.
And Organic Erotic donates all items we receive through our Circulation Program to Refettorio Harlem, not just home goods but clothing. In fact, clothing is what we send most. Many of the people we serve do not have a home to furnish, but clothing offers warmth, protection, and dignity long before someone has a space of their own. It is one of the simplest and most human ways we can care for them.
Yesterday, I was talking to Rachael and told her I never truly understood what drew me to Refettorio Harlem. She has always been the natural caretaker, the one who remembers every person’s name and story. I used to wonder: why did I choose this? Why did this matter so much to me?
Then it hit me:
Home LESS.
Of course I helped build this.
I helped create a home for people who did not have one.
Just like we help each of you, every day, create yours.
Donating to Refettorio Harlem offers the opportunity to help continue creating a home for the homeless of Harlem. If you are looking for a place to donate this year, I hope you will consider them. I’ve attached the link for you to explore.
Any amount helps, truly. And if you have questions, you can reply to this email and ask. I love talking about Refettorio Harlem. I love talking about Organic Erotic. And most of all, I love hearing from all of you.
From my home to yours,
Caroline