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Partnership in Action: Nourishing Families, Strengthening Community

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At Great Performances, we believe that food has the power to strengthen communities — not just through the meals we serve, but through the partnerships we build. Just a few blocks from our Mott Haven headquarters, a local charter school is putting that belief into action every day. In today’s post, our guest writer offers an inside look at how the school supports families through food access, nutrition education, and community programs. It’s a reminder that when organizations come together with shared purpose, even small connections can create meaningful impact for the neighborhood we call home.

Partnership in Action: Nourishing Families, Strengthening Community

At DREAM Charter Schools, we believe that every child deserves the foundation to thrive, academically, socially, and physically. But for many families we serve, the path to success begins not just in the classroom, but at the table. With 89% of our students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch and 85% of our families receiving HRA benefits, food security remains one of the most pressing challenges in our communities.

This year, we took a bold step forward by launching the DREAM Community Resource Hub at our 20 Bruckner Campus, a school-based pantry pilot designed to ensure that our families have consistent, dignified access to nutritious food right where they already feel safe: at school. Each week, the Hub distributes balanced pantry bags filled with grains, proteins, dairy, vegetables, and, thanks to a remarkable partnership, fresh produce.

One of those partnerships is with Great Performances, whose weekly produce donations have transformed what our pantry can offer. Their commitment allows us to include fresh vegetables, items that are often among the most expensive and hardest for families to access. It’s not just about the food; it’s about the message it sends: that our families deserve quality, nourishment, and care.

In just a few months of the pilot, we’ve served 881 families and distributed the equivalent of hundreds of meals. Each pantry bag, designed to provide about 15 meals, helps ease the strain on households and strengthens our shared goal of growing the whole child by addressing the basic needs that underpin learning, wellbeing, and community stability

For DREAM, “DREAM is Family” isn’t just a motto, it’s a way of operating. By bringing together partners like Great Performances, we are building a model that not only feeds families but connects them to critical resources such as SNAP, WIC, and Health Bucks.

Our long-term vision is ambitious but clear: to expand the Community Resource Hub model across all DREAM campuses, ensuring that every DREAM family, no matter their current circumstances, has a reliable way to secure food and support services that enable them to play, learn, and grow.

Partnerships like the one with Great Performances make that vision possible. Their generosity reflects what happens when mission-driven organizations unite around shared values, when we see food not just as sustenance, but as a tool for dignity, connection, and hope.

Together, we’re proving that nourishing our families is the first step to nourishing our future.

About Raymie Fernandez

Raymie Fernandez serves as the Chief Operating Officer at DREAM, bringing 14 years of experience in education and 18 years in youth-serving organizations to his leadership. A native of Harlem, Raymie has been connected to the DREAM community since childhood, when he grew up in the neighborhood and played baseball against DREAM formerly known as Harlem RBI. He formally joined DREAM in 2021.

As COO, he oversees network and school-based operations across DREAM, including facilities, food services, health and safety, transportation, and procurement. He leads and develops a broad team of direct reports and dotted-line leaders whose portfolios span school operations, network operations, student enrollment, facilities, and food services.

Raymie also oversees DREAM Charter Schools’ work in health and wellness, including the scratch food program and the launch of DREAM’s first-ever community pantry, the Community Resource Hub, advancing DREAM’s commitment to holistic support for students and families.

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