Alliance Honored as "Nonprofit of the Year" at Rescuing Leftover Cuisine's Spring Gala

Our long-time partner Rescuing Leftover Cuisine has secured thousands of delicious fresh meals for Alliance’s Food and Nutrition Services program, so we were thrilled to join their Spring gala in May 2025, where we were honored as their “Nonprofit of the Year.” Alliance Food and Nutrition Program Director Melissa Gallanter and Director of Linkage to Insurance Marcia Deer spoke about the impact these consistent meals have on the people we serve. Our Deputy Executive Director/COO Brenda Starks-Ross and Assistant Director of Development Kristin Lysko were also in attendance.

The gala raised funds for RLC’s great and far-reaching work. During the roughest economic times, RLC has been there for Alliance and hundreds of other organizations that serve vulnerable New Yorkers. Thank you, RLC!

All photos courtesy of RLC.

Alliance Celebrates Federal Bill "Strengthening Medicaid for Serious Mental Illness Act"

Alliance joined fellow advocates and federal and local representatives Monday, May 12, in celebration of a progressive bill introduced by our Congressman Dan Goldman. The bill, Strengthening Medicaid for Serious Mental Illness Act would provide much-needed funding for adults with serious mental health challenges.

Alliance’s Senior Vice President of Communications Brooke Montes and Advocacy Project Manager Luis Worrell joined Congressman Goldman and advocates from across New York City. Council members Erik Bottcher and Lynn Schulman, Chair of the Committee on Health, introduced a city hall resolution in support of the federal legislation.

“Alliance’s three decades of work has shown that combining multidisciplinary care teams, peer-based support, and interagency partnerships yields benefits far greater than the sum of the parts—for individuals, families, and communities. This legislation is an urgently needed investment.”
— Brooke Montes, Alliance’s Senior Vice President of Communications


Multipurpose Room Dedication for Edwin "Doc Broccoli" Krales

On April 30, Alliance officially renamed our multipurpose room at Midtown Central the Edwin “Doc Broccoli” Krales Multipurpose Room, in honor of our longtime nutritionist. “Doc Broccoli” or “Doc Broc” was beloved by participants, many of whom he had worked with for several decades, and many spoke about the positive impact he had had on their lives. The multipurpose room is where we serve over 10,000 fresh meals every year to participants, many of whom attend our weekly nutrition classes.

Shortly after Doc Broc passed last summer, our agency held a celebration of his life with his family, who were on hand last week for the room dedication and shared wonderful memories of the man who helped hundreds of people with chronic conditions lead healthier lives by balancing their diets.

All photos: David Nager

Alliance Voices Poetry at Barnes & Noble Union Square 2025

Alliance’s Creative Writing Workshop has been empowering program participants to share their stories through creative writing since 1999. We held our annual poetry reading celebration “Voices” on Wednesday, April 29 at Barnes & Noble Union Square. Eleven poets read their works—including several who had never performed on stage before. Their poems can be read in the latest issue of Situations, our annual literary magazine.

Also included are photographs from interviews with some frequent CWW members on why the weekly workshop is meaningful to them. Videos to come. Stay tuned!

All photos: David Nager/Alliance