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The Eastside Potluck Society stands by a simple phrase: “The only way to survive is by taking care of each other,” a quote from activist Grace Lee Boggs.
The group is small yet powerful. Eastside currently operates as a biweekly mutual aid initiative that serves dinners at a corner on Monroe Avenue.
The group was formed in April by a group of peers connected through Community Justice Initiative, an Afrikan-centered grassroots network that addresses food scarcity and empowers Rochester’s Black and Indigenous communities.
Having assisted with CJI’s food outreach programs at the RTS Transit Center, Eastside’s core group bonded through their Asian-American roots, connection to the city, and their drive to expand CJI’s initiative further across Rochester and closer to their homes.
“We’re all from this area. Why not bring our talents, time, treasure over here?” says Lam Bui, one of the group’s founders.
Shortly thereafter, the Eastside Potluck Society was born.
The group, which now has around a dozen members, works primarily through street outreach on Monroe Avenue.
“We reach out to a wide array of folks: folks who are unhoused, folks who are living with substance use disorder. We encounter a lot of folks who are veterans,” Bui notes. “The community knows us. We’re here every other Monday, so folks know if there’s anything like food or any kind of snacks, whatever they might need, they can swing on by.”
Currently located at the RTS stop on Monroe Avenue by Blessed Sacrament Church, Eastside’s traffic comes from a combination of passersby, folks waiting for the bus, or individuals from nearby homes or encampments who may be in need of a meal. However, in light of ongoing encampment sweeps around the city, Eastside’s team is working to adapt to best serve its affected community members.
“The encampment sweeps … push our community members away, ” says Bui. “Especially when RPD gets involved, it retraumatizes our folks. It takes them away from the folks that they do need. Just by having Eastside Potluck here, it gives us … hope for people to meet.”
The table at the potluck holds a mixed fare, including curries and rice, funded by the surrounding community. At first, organizers prepared food at home and brought it in to serve, and paid out of pocket for any additional charges. Now, many of the dishes are provided by the nearby Sikh Gurdwara. Snacks, water bottles, and wellness items are partially covered by donations sent to Eastside via Venmo and Giftster.
The table also carries free Narcan for those in need.
“Just realizing that as we walk by, somebody who looks asleep might be overdosing,” says Thao Le Thanh, another organizer of the Eastside Potluck. “It just makes me realize there are so many more ways that we have to support one another.”
For the Eastside team, this effort is part of a generational responsibility. Bui, a first-generation immigrant, recounts how support from social services like SNAP was crucial to his community. With upward social and economic mobility, he notes how this connection to the city fades.
“A lot of the Asian Americans that came over here in different cohorts tend to move outside of the city and then forgo all of the responsibilities, the obligations, and all the stuff that we got when we first got here,” says Bui. “A lot of what we do as Eastside Potluck Society is establish that firm grasp into our city where most of us originate from. This is our way of putting our skin in the game.”
Similarly, members like Le Thanh hope to use the potluck as a way to build Asian community, as well as raise discussions of class consciousness, race, and food equity.
Through its outreach, Eastside has begun to work with other mutual aid nonprofits such as Food Not Bombs, Sweet Ida Mae’s Pantry, CJI and institutional collaborators, including MC Collaborative and Blessed Sacrament Church.
In anticipation of food stamp cuts, the group aims to strengthen its coalitions and partnerships with the community, as well as expand its physical outreach further down Monroe Avenue closer to the center city.
The Eastside Potluck Society hosts potluck events every other Monday at 6 p.m. at the RTS stop at Monroe and Blessed Sacrament. Further information, as well as donation links to further support the society, can be found on Instagram.
Alex Holly is a student at the University of Rochester and member of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.
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