Karen Bryant

Throughout my life I have believed it's important to give back.
Not just monetarily, but to give back some of yourself.

-Karen Bryant

Karen Bryant was born in New York City and moved to New Jersey during high school, where she met Becky Bongiovi. Their chance meeting led to a life-long friendship and inspired years of service to their community.

“Throughout my life I have believed it's important to give back. Not just monetarily, but to give back some of yourself,” said Karen. “Everybody has a moment when they are down in their life. If we can provide them with something, maybe they forget the things that might be troubling them.”

Karen has volunteered in many capacities, including the Susan Komen Race for the Cure and the American Diabetes Association, and she's also very active in her church. But it's the work she does with her friend and fellow Cabot Community Celebrity Becky, in conjunction with Jersey Cares, which feeds her passion for service to others through food.

After spending time volunteering at a soup kitchen, making bag lunches for those in need, the friends decided they wanted to do more. They created a program that helps those in need not only eat, but eat well.

“We wanted to do more than the basics. We wanted to help folks one-on-one, and make an impact that lasts longer than just one meal,” said Karen. “We can live better with healthier cooking, and it doesn’t have to have a lot of pizzazz to it. You can cook on a budget and still make healthy meals.”

Karen and Becky now host seminars at Midland Adults Services, a community housing facility for adults with special needs, and cooking demonstrations with residents twice a month. They work as a team to deliver a lasting impact on people’s lives. Eating well to live well. and doing it on a budget.

In her spare time Karen likes to work out and run 5k road races. She also sings in the church choir, and says she just loves to spread a little joy with others!