Undergraduate Student’s New Nonprofit Launches University-Supported ‘fREsh-taurant’

Marcus T. Harvin ’23 A.S., ’25 was surrounded by members of his community as they wrapped silverware in napkins and set the tables around them. Nearby, Peter Marrello, the University of New Haven’s campus executive chef, prepared bowls of salad. It was almost dinnertime.

The meal was served in the Pitts Chapel UFWB Church Fellowship Hall in Newhallville, the New Haven neighborhood where Harvin grew up. The hall was set up to look like a restaurant for the kickoff of Harvin’s “fREsh-taurant,” a community kitchen that would serve a “feast for the forgotten.”

The initiative is part of fREshSTARTs, a nonprofit that Harvin launched to serve his community. He’d envisioned serving meals to his neighbors in need – and offering them food to take home with them. He’s now doing just that. Volunteers served diners in-house and distributed many more to-go meals. They even personally delivered food to a warming center in New Haven.

“The grand opening was the culmination of years of planning and praying,” explains Harvin, who recently earned the MLK Scholarship as part of the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. “It felt surreal seeing and serving those who need us the most.”

‘Zero waste’

Harvin has the support of a dedicated team of volunteers that included members of his family, his friends, community members, and his fellow Chargers. Bradley Woodworth, Ph.D., Harvin’s professor, friend, and a member of the fREshSTARTs board, and his kids were among those offering their support to Harvin and to the New Haven community.

As part of Harvin’s Food Rescue initiative, local colleges and universities are donating unused food to be served to community members. The University is among them, and staff members helped serve the food. It was an important way to serve the community – and the planet.

“One of the many missions for Dining Service at the University of New Haven is to have zero waste,” explains Juan Dominguez, general manager of Dining Services at the University of New Haven. “The food we process either gets eaten by the students, staff, or faculty, or guests, or it is donated to local groups and the University’s pantry. Food that can’t be donated is stored for composting.”

‘An institution that cares’

Harvin, who graduated as part of the inaugural class of the University’s Prison Education Program and the Yale Prison Education Initiative (YPEI) last year, is also discussing a possible collaboration with other departments and student organizations at the University who may offer their support to fREshSTARTs. In addition to helping to feed the community, the nonprofit offers a variety of services and programs, such as educational programs for kids. Harvin is seeking volunteers to help with those programs in areas such as music and debate.

Harvin launched the organization after his time as a President’s Public Service Fellow last summer. The program enabled him to volunteer with Neighborhood Housing Services in New Haven and to connect with his Newhallville community through building relationships, gardening, and beautifying the neighborhood. During his service, he saw a need – and an opportunity – for more support and services in NewHallville.

Eager to continue to ensure that members of his community have enough to eat, Harvin plans to continue to offer food though his Connecticut Foodshare-sourced food pantry and with the support of donated food from local universities. He appreciates the support he’s received from his fellow Chargers, and he hopes more members of the University community will also feel inspired to serve.

“I have a great level of appreciation for the University of New Haven,” said Harvin. “I do not know of any other private institution of higher learning wherein a tenured professor and an executive chef would readily volunteer their services as a means by which to assist an undergraduate in the process of actualizing aspiration. This is an institution that cares.”