Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS)
Stories of Impact
Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS) was founded in 1971 as a literal “soup kitchen” serving hot soup to vulnerable residents of Park Slope/Gowanus out of a storefront on Sixth Avenue in Brooklyn.
Since 1976, CHiPS has been providing a welcoming space for people experiencing food insecurity by serving hot meals at its current location on Fourth Avenue. The organization provides free hot meals, pantry and shelter to those in need, with a particular focus on expectant and new mothers. The organization, supported by permanent staff and volunteers, delivered more than 190,000 meals to 1,000 people last year.
“We also run a pantry program out of our brick and mortar and we have a mobile pantry van that we started about a year ago,” Executive Director Peter Endriss said.
In addition to its food assistance programs, CHiPS operates a residence for expectant mothers, offering nine furnished studio apartments to women in their third trimester or with children under the age of three. Residents receive housing and access to biweekly meetings that connect them with critical resources.
Endriss said demand for CHiPS’ services has continued to grow, and the Spark Prize will help the organization expand its reach.
“It will help us improve our services so we can provide more fresh foods and vegetables and continue to improve our client choice model for our pantry program and our food services,” he said.
As a 2025 Brooklyn Org Spark Prize Winner, CHiPS benefits from a $100,000 ‘no strings attached’ grant for their work advancing racial justice and bettering the lives of our neighbors across Brooklyn.
This recognition from the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize will help us increase our visibility across Brooklyn and allow us to reach even more New Yorkers facing food insecurity and homelessness.Peter Endriss, Executive Director of Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS)
All CHiPS food services maintain a policy of feeding “anyone who comes to our doorm,” without asking for any form of identification or “proof of need.”
Endriss shared, “Our success has always come from the community – our volunteers and supporters who keep our doors open and our meals hot – and the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize strengthens our ability to continue this vital work for the next 50 years.”