GERALDINE FERMIN
“I wanted to work somewhere where we could do something about food waste,” Geraldine Fermin says. “I’ve seen so much poverty all over the world that I wanted to work for an organization that rescues perfectly good, nutritious food and delivers—free of charge—to community members across New York City.” A native of Venezuela, which has its share of food insecurity, Fermin is Nutrition and Culinary Education Manager at City Harvest, New York City’s first and largest food rescue organization. She coordinates and leads cooking demonstrations citywide, and teaches cooking and nutrition classes in English and Spanish. Fermin focuses her work on City Harvest’s mobile markets, as well as food pantries, supermarkets, and public schools. “No one should go to bed hungry,” says Fermin, who previously worked as a restaurant and catering chef and as a food service manager for the New York City public schools. “It’s really rewarding to know that we can’t change the world but we can do a little, one day at a time.” This spring, Fermin was named one of City Harvest’s Frontline Heroes, in recognition of her efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. “From March 2020 to June 2022, City Harvest rescued and delivered nearly 300 million pounds of food for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity,” she says. “I was proud to be out in the community, helping my neighbors when they needed it the most.”
