Gregory Boroff - Conversations with Artists
What is the art of what you do? What's the special sauce?
My belief behind the non-profit work I do that involves trying to raise money or awareness for serious issues, is that we have to make it approachable for people so that they want to be involved. When people feel appreciated and valued, they’re going to be invested. Some of the work I’ve done has centered on serious issues like HIV and AIDS as well as hunger relief. They're really tough subjects and there's a lot of sadness involved in the work, but there's also a lot of joy. When you consider that we’re talking about people helping others to get help when they need it - that can be really joyful.
How do you translate those serious issues into joy?
The events we host are a wonderful way to do that, and they’re really well-known because people actually want to be at them. There's a sort of energy and spirit - we make our events an experience. We want people to go on a journey — even before they arrive, beginning with the invitation. During the event, we build up emotion through music and brief speeches that actually mean something. Then when we get to the fund-raising mechanisms for the night people really want to give money. I often hear from people the next day that they’re surprised at how much money they gave, and that they can’t wait to come back and do it again.
So you find a way to tap into emotion.
We tap into the emotion of joy and part of that is shining a light on New Yorkers helping New Yorkers. No one knows if they themselves might someday be in a position where they’re going to need assistance. I grew up in a very wealthy community on the Jersey Shore. My parents got divorced and we were suddenly in a situation where we didn't know where our meals were going to come from. We couldn't take hot water, electricity or food for granted, yet we lived in one of the wealthiest towns in this country. People may or may not understand that their circumstances are very fragile and they can change suddenly. We have to take care of one another and I think that at City Harvest there's a real sense that while you're able to help someone else today, you might be the one to need help at another time. We need to be there for one another.
Sometimes it seems as if we're unable to care about each other, and then other times you see beautiful moments of somebody doing something astounding.
I feel that I’ve seen both extremes my whole life. Growing up, I was someone who was always out without really choosing to be out because everyone knew, or thought I was gay. I had friends who wouldn't let other people treat me badly, so I got to experience that level of kindness at a young age.
So you saw the good side of humanity early on.
Yes, and I also saw the not-so-great side as well. When I was young I didn't feel comfortable going to the local high school, so ironically I went to a military high school to avoid being bullied. A few years ago I had the opportunity to go back to that local high school as part of a program that brings out adults to their schools to speak about their experiences. I went back to talk about why I didn't go there - specifically about bullying. My talk was optional to attend, and yet the entire auditorium was completely filled with all different types of people - people who I would have been afraid of 30 years ago - people in letter jackets. So I've experienced both sides of humanity. Also, at the height of the AIDS epidemic I worked at the GMHC and I saw how people helped one another... and not just folks who you would naturally think would help. There were NYC socialites manning the phone banks and answering hotlines and making sure they were out there marching with people. That part of the City came together to help one another. You see the same thing with City Harvest; people volunteering, making sure food doesn't go to waste. There's a real sense of pride doing something for the environment and for your fellow New Yorker. You're able to be part of the experience of making sure food is going to people who need it. It's really magical to watch people come together as one community in this City.
What is it you actually do for City Harvest?
I consider myself a brand person. City Harvest already had a very strong brand, and everything that I do at work is aligned with and is fueling that brand. Whether it's our events or our marketing campaigns or our in-store campaigns or employee activations at corporations across the entire city, my personal job is to make sure that all the dots are connected. Also, it’s important that we’re creating one brand that touches both those in need and those that are giving. No matter who sees the City Harvest truck they feel the same emotion — that there's hope on that truck. There's something really good happening on that truck. There's fresh nutritious food, and if you're able to help someone get that food it's a good feeling. No one wants to be in need of food assistance, but if you are, seeing that truck pull up and knowing that you’re going to get food, or your child is going to get food, or your parents are going to get food — that’s a feeling of joy.
How do you focus on a brand - what's the nitty-gritty of it?
To me, it's a feeling, and a lot of it's visual. It’s about infusing a sense of this being something that's good, and you should be a part of it. If you’re someone in need of food assistance seeing a City Harvest ad go by on a bus, you want to see something that makes you feel good about the life that you're living. Everything I do, whether it's the daily work with my team or what I'm trying to project out to the world - it's about fun, it’s about appreciation and being fortunate to live in a city where people care about each other. The majority of the people who receive food assistance from City Harvest are working - sometimes more than one job. Some months they can make ends meet, and then something happens — a medical bill comes up or something unexpected happens - and the first thing to go is food. I've talked to people who aren’t able to eat regularly because they want to make sure their children are eating, so they skip meals. Something I’ll never forget; I was in a soup kitchen in midtown and there was a group of men who were in full construction gear. I went over and started talking to them, and they had traveled over an hour to get into the city to work so they could earn money to bring home to their families. The city is really an expensive place to eat, and they really didn't have the resources to bring their own lunch, so the soup kitchen was the way that they could eat. It's really powerful to make decisions like that. When people reach out for help, our whole team at City Harvest wants to make sure they feel nothing but love and warmth. I guess that's the brand; our brand is that we're here and that there's no judgment and that someone will help you when you need it.
What a wonderful job — to be fueling positive human emotions, and supplying food!
I have the best job in the entire world. I've been involved in many organizations, but what really stands out at City Harvest is that the people who work there - from the staff to the volunteers, absolutely love it - and they constantly go above and beyond to help people in need. Once, at one of the markets, our CEO, Jilly Stephens, offered to help an elderly woman walk home with her food. It ended up being quite a long walk, and what was particularly striking was when they got to the woman's apartment it was a five-floor walkup. Jilly wondered how the woman would have managed without help — but somehow she would have. People talk about the resilience of New Yorkers — it’s wonderful that we can help other people and make it a little easier for them in a city that has so many challenges.
Tell us about Atticus.
Atticus is one of the great joys of my life. He used to come to work with me, but now he stays home and he’s much happier. When I come home at the end of the day and have a best friend waiting for me - in addition to my life partner of 26 years, Thomas - who is amazing - it’s very special. I also like that he doesn't talk. I do a lot of talking at work and my job is very social, which I enjoy, but to have a best friend that is just silent is really peaceful. We’re connected on a deep level.
If you could go back to 15-year-old Gregory and give him some advice, what would you tell him?
Back in my school days, my principal told me that my greatest gift was my ability to talk. Basically, he was saying that I wouldn’t shut up. While I think he meant it in a really good way, he was saying that I needed to learn how to harness it and that I needed to learn to listen as much as I spoke. So I would say to 15-year-old me “learn to use your gift of being able to be outgoing and bring people together for a purpose, for something that's good and is going to have a positive effect on people around you.” That's how I've lived my adult life. As I get older that's something that speaks more and more true to me. I’m always thinking about how I can use my strengths to make my community a better place. I’m not trying to change the world — that’s big. But I can change things for my community, my friends, where I work and for people in NYC. I try to make sure that I’m using my strengths to help strengthen everyone.
That does make the world a better place.
Yes, ultimately it does.
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