The nonprofit MIdTown Cleveland, Inc. was hearing from two constituencies that, on the surface, appeared to have little in common: Residents who struggled to afford food and AsiaTown restaurant owners whose business had plummeted during months of street construction along Payne Avenue.
MidTown Cleveland staff saw a connection. Residents needed food, especially after their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were discontinued during the recent federal government shutdown. AsiaTown restaurants needed to sell more meals to stay afloat. Through this interconnection, the AsiaTown Taste & Care initiative was born. MidTown Cleveland is partnering with the Hunger Network so that residents who use a local food pantry can enter a free raffle to win a $20 meal at an AsiaTown restaurant.
“This is designed to address food insecurity among residents while uplifting the Asian restaurants,” said Feiran Yang, community engagement manager at MidTown Cleveland.
Pre-pandemic, you would see pantries that weren’t sure if they were going to see people on a given day. Now, the new normal is that you have a line when you go to open.”
Emma Messett, the hunger relief program director in charge of the Hunger Network’s MidTown Market pantry on how food insecurity in Northeast Ohio started increasing during the pandemic.
Cash mobs at select AsiaTown restaurants will be held every weekend in December through Dec. 27 as another part of the effort.
Residents can enter the meal raffle Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hunger Network’s MidTown Market, 4415 Euclid Ave. The food pantry is set up like a grocery store where customers “shop” for food and other items. The raffle is open to AsiaTown and MidTown residents. MidTown’s service area includes Hough and parts of Fairfax.
AsiaTown Taste & Care’s goal is to raise $2,500 by Dec. 18 to pay for the meals, Yang said. The NRP Group, whose work includes developing affordable housing, is matching that amount, meaning that $5,000 could be available for meals through the raffle. People interested in donating may do so by clicking this link.
The longest federal government shutdown in history, which lasted 43 days, sparked the idea for AsiaTown Taste & Care, said Anthony Giambroni, MidTown’s vice president of community engagement. He said residents’ requests for help with food soared during this time. AsiaTown restaurant owners had been fretting about lost business for months.
“Connecting them was almost like feeding two birds with one hand,” he said.
Food insecurity in Greater Cleveland began rising during the pandemic
The MidTown Market is an inviting place to shop, with modern decor and splashes of cheery colors. The metal shelves are stocked with canned and boxed foods, toiletries and household cleaning products. Meat and frozen food can be found in the freezers. There are boxes of fresh produce.
Shoppers can get more than food at the market. There is a resource room, which includes a children’s book bank. The Hunger Network often brings in representatives from organizations offering legal, social and other services that shoppers may need.,
Last week, Yang was stationed at a table at the market signing up shoppers for the raffle.
Omega Francia was among the nearly 35 shoppers who signed up that day.
“We like to get out of the house and do things too,” she said, adding that restaurant meals often aren’t in the budgets of people grappling with food insecurity.
Christine Kwan, who also entered the raffle, agreed.
“It is a very good thing for us, especially around Christmastime, so we can enjoy a meal too,” Kwan said.
Both women like shopping at the market. Francia likes getting produce in good shape – something she said is very difficult to find at stores in her neighborhood. Both said the help the market provides has been invaluable in providing access to nutritious food.
“Utilizing SNAP benefits and shopping at the MidTown Market are a really critical part of my household making sure that not all of our income goes towards the basics – that we have a little bit of room for the things beyond the necessities,” Francia said.
When SNAP benefits were stopped during the government shutdown, it exacerbated issues of growing food insecurity in Northeast Ohio, said Emma Messett, the hunger relief program director in charge of the MidTown Market. Monthly statistics show how demand was increasing this year even before the government shutdown.
In January 2025, the food pantry served 279 households, according to Hunger Network data. By September, the month before the shutdown began, the households served had skyrocketed nearly 113%, to 594. The households served hit an all-time high of 642 after the shutdown began in October. The number of households decreased to 602 in November, the month the shutdown ended.
Lower-income families have been hit hard by the rising food prices that began during the pandemic, Messett said. The MidTown Market is one of 52 Hunger Network pantries. In 2019, the pantries logged more than 127,000 visits, according to Hunger Network data. By 2024, the number had jumped nearly one-third to more than 168,000. This year, the pantries are on track to blow past the 2024 number, Messett said.
“Pre-pandemic, you would see pantries that weren’t sure if they were going to see people on a given day,” she said. “Now, the new normal is that you have a line when you go to open.”
When MIdTown Cleveland approached the Hunger Network about partnering on the raffle, the organization didn’t hesitate, Messett said.
“It’s a win-win,” she said. “The businesses benefit. The customers in need benefit.”
Cash mobs in December designed to help AsiaTown businesses
Brian Ng owns Ice or Rice Cafe, 3713 Payne Ave., with his wife, Rachel He. Theirs is among eateries on the street that have lost business. He said many customers and would-be customers are avoiding Payne Avenue because they don’t want to deal with the inconvenience, such as difficulty getting into a restaurant’s parking lot.
Ng’s concerns are common among restaurant owners, said Yang of MidTown Cleveland. She said a few establishments have even closed due to the fallout from construction.
Ng welcomes the raffle and the cash mob, which he considers a well-intentioned gesture.
“I think that is very nice, but I don’t know how much it will help out after some have experienced months of losses,” he said.
AsiaTown cash mobs will be held from noon to 3 p.m. the next three Saturdays. These are the locations:
Dec. 13 – Asia Plaza, 2999 Payne Ave.
- Ball Ball Waffle
- Sunshine Pho
- Li Wah
- YY Time (located across the street)
Dec. 20 – Golden Plaza, 3030 Superior Ave.
- Wen’s Kitchen
- Superior Pho
- Ha Anh
Dec. 27 – AsiaTown Center, 3820 Superior Ave.
- Miega
- Oishi Café
- Pho Lee