A Legacy of Nourishment and Love:

Vivienne Barr Braun didn’t just believe in feeding people — she made it her life’s work. Whether she was delivering Passover packages to the homebound, dropping off food at soup kitchens, or preparing dinner for her own family, Vivienne saw food as so much more than sustenance. It was dignity. It was comfort. It was connection.

Her son Jack put it best:

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… She was dedicated to this cause in all aspects of her life.

At Hunter Hillel, Vivienne found a cause close to her heart: Jewish students striving toward their education while also struggling with food insecurity. After learning that 80% of students on campus face food insecurity, Vivienne became a fierce advocate. She worked tirelessly to ensure that every student had access to healthy, nourishing food — no questions asked.

Her passion for supporting the Jewish community stretched far beyond campus. As her son Andrew recalled,

One of my favorite memories was delivering Passover dinners to the elderly homebound… It was truly a special way to use food to connect with and support vulnerable members of the Jewish community.

Vivienne lived her values out loud. She served in countless volunteer and leadership roles, from tutoring elementary school students and supporting IDF soldiers, to advocating for budgetary accountability in public education. She was never afraid to speak up, to take action, and to make her voice heard — always for the sake of others.

Her family remembers her as someone who showed up:

Vivienne knew the locations of soup kitchens in White Plains and made sure food got there — even if she couldn’t deliver it herself. She passed on her belief in the importance of feeding the hungry by involving her children in food deliveries whenever possible.

The Vivienne Barr Braun Fund for Food Insecurity is how we continue that mission. Every meal provided, every student supported, every moment of relief — it all traces back to her legacy of care.

We are deeply grateful to Vivienne’s family for helping us carry forward her vision.

May her memory continue to nourish others, now and always.