This citywide initiative from Mayor Eric Adams aims to cultivate the immense diversity of our city and bring New Yorkers together to learn about common bonds, share cultures and traditions, and break down silos between communities. There is more that bonds us than divides us. These efforts seek to unite New Yorkers regardless of their background, build understanding, and aid in ending bias, hate, and discrimination. Breaking Bread, Building Bonds is determined to organize one thousand meals and conversations across the city, with ten everyday people from New York City's diverse communities gathering to share a meal with one another and engage in meaningful conversations.

The B4 initiative is led by the Office of the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC), Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (CAU), New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), and the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships (OFCP). B4's community partnerships include the UJA-Federation of New York, and OPHC’s Partners Against The Hate (PATH).

This initiative is reserved for residents of New York City located in any of the five boroughs — Brooklyn, Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. If you are not a New York City resident and you are interested in bringing this initiative to your city or community, please contact BreakingBread@cityhall.nyc.gov..

The best way to get involved is to host your own Breaking Bread, Building Bonds gathering as an individual host or organizational host. You may also attend a gathering as a guest. Sign up through this link! If you are interested in financially contributing, to or sponsoring a B4 gathering, please contact BreakingBread@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Ending hate, bias and discrimination involves a multipronged approach that takes time, empathy, healing, among other things. It requires a personal commitment to engage beyond our social circles, learn more about our neighbors, and collectively plant seeds of understanding for a better future. It is more important now than ever for us to build a movement that seeks to build bridges between communities and break down the silos we live in. Breaking Bread, Building Bonds cultivates a space where people from different backgrounds can meet and learn from one another. Strengthening these interpersonal relationships is one of the essential ways that we can invest in a society that is committed to ending hate, bias and discrimination.

At a dinner, you can expect to sit around the table with 6-9 New Yorkers like you, including a table host who will serve as a facilitator of conversation throughout the evening. You’ll “break bread” together—sharing a meal that accommodates your dietary preferences—and the host will introduce a set of questions that will guide you and other attendees through meaningful dialogue with one another. You’ll have the opportunity to share about yourself and your unique New York story—who you are, what you’re passionate about, what is sacred to you, and what being a New Yorker means to you. By the end of the night, you’ll hopefully leave with a full belly full of delicious food and a bit more insight into the lives of those in your community.

To keep everyone feeling healthy after a gathering, we encourage everyone to wash their hands before breaking bread together and to stay home if anyone is feeling sick. For more COVID-19 prevention tips and a notice for those with increased risk of severe illness (immunocompromised individuals, etc.), please visit the NYC COVID-19 Prevention & Care website. If you have questions or concerns around your health and safety at a dinner, please contact BreakingBread@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Yes! We can provide up to $150 per 10 persons to help cover food and drink costs for those who are unable to secure funding for their B4 gathering or cannot share meal costs amongst themselves and other attendees. This reimbursement is generously provided by the UJA-Federation of New York. For detailed information on reimbursement eligibility and step-by-step instructions on the reimbursement process, please review our Host Reimbursement Guide.

The first step is to complete our B4 survey through this link! Once you’ve provided us with your information, we will contact you with next steps!

That number is up to you! They’ve done gatherings of 4 and gatherings of 500, and the our inaugural Breaking Bread, Building Bonds Catalyst Dinner had about 200 attendees at about 30 tables. The key is to keep people at tables of 6-10, including a host facilitator at each table.

The location is up to you! We expect B4 gatherings to happen in homes, restaurants, small businesses, community centers, places of worship, schools, event spaces, libraries, and public parks across New York City! The key is to identify a nonjudgmental space where people of different backgrounds and identities, life experiences, and cultural and religious differences will feel comfortable gathering. It’s also crucial to be able to hear one another, so be sure to choose a location with plenty of space for the number of tables you hope for and free from the hustle and bustle of our beautiful City. If you would like some ideas to start with, view a map of previous public B4 host locations on our website.

The food is up to you! The first question to ask yourself is “How much food and drink will we need?”, as this will be dependent on the number of people you hope to gather with and the overall cost of the meal. If you’re a community-based organization looking to host a larger gathering, consider who you could partner with and reach out to us as well to discuss your available options: BreakingBread@cityhall.nyc.gov.

The second question to ask yourself when choosing food options is “Can everyone enjoy this meal?” This ensures that folks who require vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc. meals have available options at your gathering. When it comes to choosing meal options, if possible, go for family-style—that means having enough dishware to divide everything up so that there's one serving dish per table. A buffet line or plated meal works too, but keep all drinks on the table so that people can self-pour. If you cater, do the first and second course at once, so that conversations aren't interrupted by servers. Whether you’re hosting a gathering for 100+ or a table in your home, we encourage you to choose food options that are tethered to your vision for your Breaking Bread, Building Bonds gathering.

Of course! We’d love to have you hosting multiple dinners or a series of dinners through the year. After your first gathering, you may continue to meet with that group of individuals or choose to meet with a new group of attendees in the future. Whichever option you choose, we will ask you which option you prefer in our B4 Gathering Reflection Survey and provide you with support in planning future gatherings if you’d like assistance.