Mandala Café

We serve a weekly Community meal—Wednesdays in Central Harlem There is not a bricks-and-mortar Café yet. Every Wednesday, we offer a weekly meal in Harlem.

Plus a bi-weekly meal on alternate Sundays, in partnership with Kehilat Romemu, a Renewal Judaism Synagogue in Manhattan Valley/UWS. Though currently suspended, we have a Culinary Training program for those needing assistance with finding or keeping a job & a Catering business, which provides part-time employment.

05/20/2026

The final Weekly Community Meal for the foreseeable future will be today, Wednesday, 20 May, which happens to be 6 years to the day that Tim Shaw & I resumed the Weekly Community Meal in my home kitchen during the Covid pandemic.

Over the past several months, it has been difficult to find consistent Volunteer coverage for both the kitchen shift and the packing & distribution shift. So, we have not been able to consistently provide our Weekly Community Meal.

And, I have an impending move away from NYC.

So, time to close up shop.

So, local folks — previous Volunteers or aspirants — please show up today at 16:00/4:00pm to help out and honor the 1800+ Volunteers contributing 6,500+ hours to create ≈51,000+ meals we have handed out at 220+ dinners to all our Neighbors.

Thank You all for your support.

Please stay tuned for new developments....

Love, Blessings & Gratitude,
Daiken

Since May, 2020:
* 50,955+ Meals in Harlem! *
* 71,835+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. https://www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

05/13/2026

Friends,

We will not be having our Weekly Community Meal today, I am on retreat.

Over the past several months, it has been difficult to find consistent Volunteer coverage for both the kitchen shift and the packing & distribution shift. So, we have not been able to consistently provide our Weekly Community Meal.

And, I have an impending move away from NYC.

So, our next & final meal (for the foreseeable future) will be next Wednesday, 20 May, which happens to be 6 years to the day that Tim Shaw & I resumed the Weekly Community Meal in my home kitchen during the Covid pandemic.

So, local folks — previous Volunteers or aspirants — please show up in 2 Wednesdays on May 20th to help out and honor the 1800+ Volunteers contributing 6,500+ hours to create ≈51,000+ meals we have handed out at 220+ dinners to all our Neighbors.

Thank You all for your support.

Please stay tuned for new developments....

Love & Blessings,
Daiken

Since May, 2020:
* 50,955+ Meals in Harlem! *
* 71,835+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. https://www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

See less

05/06/2026

Friends,

We will not be having our Weekly Community Meal today.

Over the past several months, it has been difficult to find consistent Volunteer coverage for both the kitchen shift and the packing & distribution shift. So, we have not been able to consistently provide our Weekly Community Meal.

And, I have an impending move away from NYC.

Next week, I am on retreat.

So, our next & final meal (for the foreseeable future) will be on Wednesday, 20 May, which happens to be 6 years to the day that Tim Shaw & I resumed the Weekly Community Meal in my home kitchen during the Covid pandemic.

So, local folks — previous Volunteers or aspirants — please show up in 2 Wednesdays on May 20th to help out and honor the 1800+ Volunteers contributing 6,500+ hours to create ≈51,000+ meals we have handed out at 220+ dinners to all our Neighbors.

Thank You all for your support.

Please stay tuned for new developments....

Love & Blessings,

Daiken

Since May, 2020:

* 50,955+ Meals in Harlem! *

* 71,835+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. https://www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

04/29/2026

Hello Friends,

We again have Volunteer coverage issues again today, so we must cancel of Weekly Community Meal.

We regret any inconvenience.

Thank You for your understanding & support.

Be well.
Daiken

P.S. Any local NYC folks who wish to come help out each Wednesday — please let me know

Kitchen: 1:00 to ≈3:45, or
Packing/distributing from 4:00 - 6:00

Since May, 2020:

* 50, 955+ Meals in Harlem! *

* 71,835+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

04/22/2026

Greetings All,

A reminder that I am out of town for a couple of weeks Zenning in the Heartland.

So, no Community Meal this week.

Back next week on the 29th inshallah.

Have a great week.

Blessings,
Daiken

Since May, 2020:
* 50,705+ Meals in Harlem! *
* 71,580+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. https://www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

04/15/2026

Greetings All,

A reminder that I am out of town for a couple of weeks Zenning in the Heartland.

so, no Community Meal this week or next.

Back on the 29th inshallah.

Have a great week.

Blessings,

Daiken

Since May, 2020:

* 50,705+ Meals in Harlem! *

* 71,580+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. https://www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

04/08/2026

Hi Friends,

Our kitchen was rented away from us today, so we must cancel today's Weekly Community Meal.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

I will be away for 2 weeks so our next Meal offering will be Wednesday, April 29th.

Thanks.

Be well.

Daiken

04/01/2026

Hi All,

So, the Church where we serve is closed today & the kitchen where we cook is closed next week, then I am away for 2 weeks, so, the next opportunity is 29 April. Hope to see you then.

We regret any inconvenience....

Thank You for your understanding & support.

Be well.
Daiken

P.S. Any local NYC folks who wish to come help out each Wednesday — please let me know

Kitchen: 1:00 to ≈3:45, or
Packing/distributing from 4:00 - 6:00

Since May, 2020:

* 50, 955+ Meals in Harlem! *

* 71,835+ Overall *

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

03/18/2026

Hello Friends,

We again have Volunteer coverage issues today, so we must cancel of Weekly Community Meal.

We regret any inconvenience.

Thank You for your understanding & support.

Be well.
Daiken

P.S. Any local NYC folks who wish to come help out each Wednesday — please let me know

Kitchen: 1:00 to ≈3:45, or
Packing/distributing from 4:00 - 6:00

Since May, 2020:

* 50, 955+ Meals in Harlem! *

* 71,835+ Overall *

P.S. Thanks to all who have been offering suggestion about our staffing issues.

Here's the deal: We have 2 shifts, the kitchen (cooking) shift & the packing/distribution shift.
For the kitchen shift, we have a pool of 3 regular Volunteers with 3 others who are available occasionally.
For the packing/distribution shift, we have a pool of 4 regular Volunteers with 2 others who are available occasionally.

We are on 3 websites that recruit Volunteers. We are also open to and recruit Students & groups to come to help out.

In order to fold in the newbies, we need veteran Volunteers to help offer guidance/training.
So, we can have 2-3 new people for the kitchen and 4-5 newbies for the packing/distribution shift.
If it is me & 1 other veteran, it is just enough to make it a go.
And, as is often the case, we do not have enough veteran people to help train the new people.
So, hours of emails & texting often arrive at a place where one or both of the shifts are understaffed.
So, each week, we try to fill the shifts with enough people. We have been on a long stretch of not being able to make that happen.
Just so You all know the situation....

Thanks.

Please support our continued offerings—make a donation: Venmo. www.venmo.com/Daiken-Nelson

Join Our Mailing List:
https://tinyurl.com/MCMLSignUp

03/11/2026

Address

New York, NY

Opening Hours

4pm - 7pm

Telephone

(917) 880-6907

Website

http://mandalacafe.org/

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