Young Jamaican entrepreneur provides meals to the less fortunate over the holidays, giving back to the community

Tashany Brown, a young Jamaican entrepreneur and founder of the Brooklyn-based People’s Resource Initiative for Success and Humanitarianism (PRISH), home of the vibrant food program Meals Xo, recently partnered with the Brownsville Community Culinary Center (BCCC) in Brooklyn in feeding the community for the Thanksgiving holiday.

With a few days before Christmas, Brown told Caribbean Life on Sunday that Meals Xo started in 2020 to provide hot healthy meals to the elderly home-bound, and women, children and families in shelters facing food insecurity, in delivering meals every Sunday. 

She said the goal is to deliver these cooked meals to the families to last up to at least three days. 

Brown said the program was created when she saw the need to assist this population.

“After realizing that some of the elderly, especially the homebound, could not leave their homes due to the COVID-19 restrictions at the time, I wanted to find a way to help with the women, children and families in the shelters, especially immigrants who do not have access to food stamps and other programs,” she said. 

“I knew I had to do something,” she added. “So, the idea was started to add a food program to PRISH so that we can help.” 

Brown said she immediately received assistance from other community organizations, such as Brooklyn’s God Squad; elected officials, such as Sen. Kevin Parke; and small businesses. 

With the program rapidly growing, Brown said a more commercialized kitchen was needed to help with food preparation and serving. Hence, the program recently partnered with BCCC. 

“We were very grateful when BCCC answered the call to have us use their space,” she said. “They, too, have ready-to-eat meals for members of their Diabetes Wellness program, which they serve weekly to participants. So, to have them help us in such a huge way shows their character as an organization – that they are, indeed, about community”. 

While Brown is grateful to BCCC for assisting the Meals Xo program, she said that having its own kitchen, so volunteers and cooks can have more space to prepare, is crucial. 

In addition, she said the program will provide large meals this Christmas for new and existing program participants, while she seeks more donations and assistance. 

Brown – who personally contributes to the program through her businesses, Nueratrend Maids and Pros, and Serviced by Pros Paralegal and Consulting Services – said there is still a huge need for donations to cover, among other things, delivery costs and materials. 

Judy-Ann, a hair stylist in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, who prefers that her last name be withheld, said she was happy to assist Brown and other volunteers in the program. They helped to prepare and deliver meals on Thanksgiving Day.

 Judy-Ann said she knows “too well what it is like facing food insecurity,” stating that people, sometimes, enter her salon asking for money to buy food. 

She told Caribbean Life that she loves what Meals Xo is doing for the community and was happy to take time out of her busy schedule to help.

To assist or donate to the program, call Brown at (917) 810-1455 or email mealsxo20@gmail.com. 

You can also follow Meals Xo on its social media pages at mealsxo to keep up with what the program is doing.