Food Insecurity Stops Here
Every student deserves to learn without worrying about their next meal. Thanks to the legacy of Vivienne Barr Braun z”l, we’re making that possible at Hunter Hillel — with fresh groceries, hot meals, and emergency assistance for those who need it most.
Want to learn more about Vivienne’s story and her lasting impact? Read more here.
Fighting Food Insecurity
No student should have to choose between their education and their next meal. Yet food insecurity affects up to 80% of students at CUNY, including those in our Jewish community at Hunter.
Through the Vivienne Barr Braun Fund for Food Insecurity, Hunter Hillel provides fresh, kosher food—quietly, consistently, and with dignity. In partnership with Met Council, we operate a confidential, stigma-free Digital Kosher Food Pantry that meets students where they are.
Your support ensures that our students are nourished—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually—so they can show up for class, for community, and for themselves.
Vivienne believed food was more than nourishment — it was dignity and care.
Thanks to her legacy, Jewish students at Hunter don’t have to choose between meals and their education.
Your gift helps carry that forward.
“Vivienne understood the critical role Hunter Hillel plays in the lives of those who use its resources, how food sustains the body and provides for community.”
–– Perry Braun
From Jack:
Providing food to those in need was a passion of Vivienne's. Mom saw food as an essential ingredient in a healthy and dignified life and as a way to bring people together and form lasting relationships. From preparing dinner for her family each night and hosting seders during the holidays, to donating food to charitable causes, volunteering at soup kitchens and participating in food drives, she was dedicated to this cause in all aspects of her life. The Vivienne Braun Fund to address food insecurity is a way of continuing to give back to this special cause that was so dear to her.
From Andrew:
My mom, Vivienne, was passionate about supporting the Jewish community, both at Hunter Hillel and closer to home. One of my favorite ways was delivering Passover dinners to the elderly homebound. We assembled packages with all the essentials — matzah, grape juice, matzo meal, items for the Seder plate, and more — and drove around Westchester and the Bronx to deliver them to Jewish individuals and families who were unable to shop for themselves. It was a special feeling to walk up to a stranger’s door, ring the doorbell, and be met with a wide smile when they saw we’d brought familiar foods they would get to share with loved ones at Passover Seder. Many were so grateful they teared up and invited us in for coffee or a treat. It was truly a special way to use food to connect with and support vulnerable members of the Jewish community.
From Perry:
Vivienne was passionate about feeding the needy. She knew the locations of a number of soup kitchens in White Plains where she would drop off extra food after synagogue and other charitable events that she organized or attended. If she could not deliver the food, she made sure someone did. She wanted to pass on her belief in the importance of feeding the hungry and involved her children in food deliveries whenever possible. So it was no surprise that Hunter Hillel’s mission to provide a safe space and needed food to the Hunter Jewish community resonated with her. That she could assist striving Jewish students in pursuing their educational goals was an added bonus. She understood the critical role Hunter Hillel plays in the lives of those who use its resources, how food sustains the body and provides for community, and how the Hunter degree can transform lives.