- Today, on "Table for All," it's all about taking pride in who you are.

We take pride in the LGBTQ community with powerhouse organization, God's Love We Deliver, and hear a true New York love story, meet travel host, Mickela Mallozzi, for a taste of Korean culture.

And the pride doesn't stop there, as we visit a group of moms taking up the fight on the lunchtime battlefield.

♪ Myself it feels right [upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] June is Pride month and you can't say Pride without LGBTQ, but before the glitter, parades and mainstream acceptance, God's Love We Deliver was there at a time when many weren't.

At the height of the AIDS epidemic.

Ganga Stone was a hospice volunteer who delivered groceries to a man dying of AIDS.

That man, Richard Sale, would change her life forever.

She founded God's Love in 1986 with co-founder Jane Best, with the mission of providing meals, care and support to those living with AIDS.

Since then, they've expanded to deliver meals to people with other life-altering illnesses, serving nearly four million meals a year.

To deliver millions of meals means you're one well-oiled machine, so I headed to Soho in New York City and suited up to see their impressive operation fueled by caring volunteers.

All right, volunteers, I'm here to work.

- Buki, I have a job for you.

- Oh-oh, put me to work, drill sergeant.

Every office has a den mother, and here at God's Love, that would be Shanee.

Only a den mother is up at 6:00 AM in the morning in full glam.

- Just keep putting it in and it's gonna glide.

- Okay.

Thank you Shanee.

- [Shanee] You're welcome Quick, quick, quick, quick.

The machine is going.

- I'm really having an Ethel moment though.

- [Shanee] Look how the machine is rolling for Buki early in the morning, yeah!

[workers cheering and applauding] - I need a hype man like Shanee.

[Shanee and Buki laughing] Shanee put me to work on the assembly line with expert volunteer, Feline, and her early morning crew.

- [Buki] So how long have you been volunteering here?

- 12 years.

- 12 years.

At this early morning, 6:30 in the morning shift?

- Yes.

They make that shift.

Yep.

- [Buki] This is like, quite an operation.

How many meals do you think you have packed in the 12 years you've done this?

- So last year I passed 500 hours.

- 500 hours?

- Yeah.

- And it wasn't court ordered?

- No!

Oh no.

- Okay.

- [Feline] I think like, maybe 100,000 meals?

- 100,000 meals!

- Yeah.

We do like 2,000 per shift.

- [Buki] What does that mean to you to be able to do this work?

- You know, no matter what your income, you can make a huge difference on one life, and that's so special for me.

I think that's literally like, what New York is about.

We take care of each other.

We make sure, you know, you're not alone.

Whatever you're going through, we're there for you.

This is like the biggest crew of helpers in New York City that I've ever met.

So glad you're here.

- As much fun as it was to be the Ethel to Feline's Lucy, I had to see how they make these heavenly meals.

So den mother and drill sergeant, Shanee, took me on a tour of the industrial kitchen and introduced me to Chef Ibrahim.

That smells really good.

What have we got cooking?

- [Ibrahim] Yeah, we're cooking puree of mushroom soap.

- Woo!

That thing is bubbling.

How many people is this gonna feed?

- [Ibrahim] 750.

- Mm.

- [Shanee] Smells good, right?

- Hearty, delicious.

Feeding my soul.

I feel like I wanna mix it, but I feel like it's gonna bubble up in my face, and this outfit can't be bubbled on.

- This, oh, this, oh.

- Over here.

- First of all, this is a arm workout.

- [Ibrahim] Yeah, this is where I do my gym.

I don't need to pay.

- This is your gym.

Take that out for you.

Thank you, Chef.

And before I could grab my coat and deliver a meal, I had to check in with the woman in charge, Chief Business Development Officer and 27 year God's Love vet, Dorella Walters.

- We wanna make sure that anyone that needs our help gets it.

So our efforts are trying to make sure that we're reaching diverse communities.

It doesn't matter if someone's a citizen or not, it doesn't matter their income, if you're dealing with an illness and you need our help, we're gonna be there.

- Wow.

And you personalize each meal for these people.

- Yes.

We're very proud of that.

We have a team of registered dietician nutritionists who work with our chefs to make sure that we can follow an individual through the trajectory of their illness.

And that's the thing that makes us different, in terms of our medically tailored meals.

- And I also hear that you guys really personalize with birthday cakes?

- Yes.

So we have always understood the importance of helping our clients recognize that we value them and that they're amazing people.

So we wanna demonstrate that respect and care by sending them personalized birthday cakes.

- [Buki] Hundreds of cakes are delivered each day to make their clients feel that extra touch of love.

And Master Baker, Aurora, is responsible for icing and spelling every name to perfection.

- And it's a good cake too.

- I'm stealing one.

Bye!

[Aurora and Dorella laughing] I made it downstairs to pack up the truck with Ronnie, who's been delivering God's Love for over six years, Six to seven years delivering meals to all these individuals in New York City traffic.

- In New York City traffic.

- You are doing God's work.

- Yes, I am.

- The truck had a full tank of gas and we were off to deliver our first meal to Jose and Carlos, a true New York love story.

From Stonewall to gay marriage, the LGBTQ community has been fighting for their rights since the first LGBTQ organization started in 1925.

These brave individuals protested, marched, canvassed and loved their way to breaking down barrier after barrier in sports, politics and in everyday life.

Jose and Carlos met on the 2 train in 1993.

A smitten Carlos missed his stop and it's been the ride of their lives ever since.

Carlos and Jose, special delivery!

- [Carlos] Thank you.

Come, oh, food.

- How are ya?

- We met in '93.

He was working nights and I was working days, right Jose?

- Yeah.

That's sure.

- All right, who caught who's eye?

Who did the eye?

Who did the flirt?

- I did the flirt because when I saw Jose I was like, what's that?

[Buki laughs] - Ha, I got your number.

- Oh, you got the digits?

- [Jose] Yeah.

- Listen, 1993, 2024, you still need to get the digits.

Jose, what do you love most about Carlos?

- Sometimes he's a pain ass.

And sometimes he's really good.

But I wouldn't change him.

- He's a caring person.

He always calls me Pooh Bear.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Pooh Bear?

- When he wants me to calm down, he's like, Pooh Bear.

- [Buki] Now, in the last few years of their relationship, Jose and Carlos are facing their toughest challenge, with Carlos becoming a full-time caretaker since Jose was diagnosed with HIV, Parkinson's, and now, dementia.

- I'm doing this like 24 hours, seven days a week.

From 2019, I've been doing this all by myself.

Very hard for both of us.

But I will always hold Jose's hand on everything.

- [Jose] Yeah.

- I love him and I will stay to the end.

- [Buki] You are the sole caretaker.

I know it's been a lot on you.

- Yeah, but, Pooh Bear.

- It's okay.

I'm sorry.

- I'm happy.

- Yeah, I know you are.

- If there was a secret that you can share with all of us, how to maintain 30 years through the good, through the bad, what's the secret?

- Smile.

- Boom.

That's it.

- There you go.

I always look at Jose or I look at when he smile, but in our community we just need to be more supportive to each other.

- Yeah.

- Because there is love for people out there.

- Yeah.

- We just gotta find.

- [Buki] And I found that love, meeting Jose and Carlos.

This story may not have the happy ending they dreamed of, but it's an epic love story for the ages, and they're proud of the love they have shared for over 30 years.

And the volunteers at God's Love We Deliver are proud to support each and every kind of love.

- When we was down and out, they was the only one there for us.

- [Jose] They came and gave us what we needed.

- Still get it.

- And the food was good.

- Yeah.

- And the food was good.

Yes.

Much like the LGBTQ community, Korean Americans have infused this country with culture and contribution.

In the aftermath of the Korean War, with high unemployment rates, political instability, and a military dictatorship, tens of thousands of Koreans emigrated to the United States, with many relocating to Flushing, Queens, bringing with them their incredible food, like hot pot, kimbap and Korean barbecue.

I wanted to know more about this fascinating culture.

So I had to call on my favorite travel guide and friend, Mickela Mallozzi.

Don't let the Italian name fool you, Mickela is a four-time Emmy award-winning host who highlights the diversity of dance around the world on her show, "Bare Feet."

She's traveled to Korea and immersed herself and her audience in this rich culture.

And as a New York native, she's no stranger to Flushing.

We couldn't explore Korean culture on an empty stomach, so I headed to, Oh!

K-Dog, serving up the wildly popular, Korean corn dog.

Hello!

These aren't your grandmother's corn dogs.

You've got your choice of meat, cheese, or rice as the base of your dog, and a smorgasbord of toppings.

You know, let me get two rice cake dogs.

- [Vendor] Of course.

- I grabbed my piping hot rice cake dog, loaded with cinnamon sugar, and made my way over to Main Street to meet my friend and co-explorer, Mickela.

I brought us a little treat.

- Ah, love it.

- Now these are Korean corn dogs.

- Okay.

- Now I wanna say, I've never eaten a corn dog.

So this is a first for me today.

- I've had a traditional like, good old American corn dog.

- All right.

- This I've never had before.

- But this is filled with rice and it's a little salty/sweet action with a little sugar on top.

- Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh.

- Cheers!

- Cheers, friend.

That's really great.

- Wow!

My first corn dog.

- Well.

- I'm a fun guy, no?

- Anything fried with sugar is amazing.

- Yeah, you're done.

Tell me about your experiences in Flushing.

- Flushing, Queens is one of the fastest growing Chinatowns and K-towns in the United States.

- Yeah, this place is hustle and bustle.

- It is.

It is.

Aside from the hustle and bustle, there are these little pockets of real neighborhoods, just like New York City.

- [Buki] Was there a commonality between when you were here, and then when you were actually in Korea?

- Oh yeah.

It felt very similar.

I come from an immigrant family.

Immigrant communities bring with them their culture, their language, their food, but also the energy.

They wanna feel home here and they're remaking this place their home.

- A professional dancer herself, Mickela has ignited a two-step in millions, with her love of dance and culture.

How does Korean dance compare to all the dances that you've danced?

- Well, there's so many styles.

We have the Korean mask dance.

I became a K-pop star for a day when I was in South Korea.

I danced with the KCS Senior Dance Team.

These fabulous senior women, they just love dancing and meeting every week.

It's community.

That's what dance is about, is bringing people together.

But today, we're gonna be going to do some dancing and drumming.

- Well, take me there.

- Let's go, friend.

Let's go.

- [Buki] Today, over a third of the Flushing community is of Korean descent, with nearly 70% of the Korean Americans in Flushing having a stake in local businesses.

Mickela took me to meet one of those Korean Americans who has a stake in her community, Yusun Kang, the President of the Korean Traditional Music and Dance Center.

- [Mickela] Hello, Yusun.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Thank you for having us.

I wanna introduce you to Buki.

- Hello, Yusun.

- Hi.

How are you?

- It's a pleasure to meet you.

The dance center was founded by Yusun's mother in 1987, and has helped several generations of Koreans in Queens connect with their cultural roots.

- I miss a lot, because it's been passing down from my mom down to me, and then I'm still teaching my kids as well, so it's like three generations.

And we're keeping the culture here in New York.

- [Buki] Korean drumming and dance has its roots in the feudal Korean era, and holds a deep meaning in the Korean community.

The moves and music are inspired by the Korean landscape and the natural world.

- The breathing is very important part.

Everything is connected to the hoheub, which is the breathing.

- So are we always wearing the glam skirts when we dance?

- [Yusun] Yeah.

- Okay.

So these are traditional skirts that you all wear for this.

- Yes, it makes it really elegant before we actually even dance.

You're kind of ready to learn the tradition.

- Well, I am ready to learn this tradition.

- Me too!

Me too.

- [Buki] While Mickela was suiting up, - - Perfect.

- I was on drum duty, ready to rock, Korean-style.

- We have two sticks.

- Okay.

- So right hand, you'll be holding the thin stick on your right, and then the left you hold, and then, yes, you grab it gently and we're playing the left hand with moving your wrist up and down, like.

[drums beating] - I'm a drummer!

- And then the right hand.

Very nice!

We're gonna learn the basic changgo rhythm.

Number one will be [speaking in Korean] down here, and then, [speaking in Korean] on the right.

[drum beating] - Yes.

- Okay.

- Ready, go!

[speaking in Korean] - [Buki] The changgo drum dates all way back to the eighth century.

An essential percussion instrument, the two sides of the hourglass drum represent yin and yang, with many believing it portrays the sound of rain.

Today, the changgo is the heartbeat of the Korean culture and experience.

- Very good.

- Yay, Buki!

- Great time.

- High five.

You rocked it, Buki.

- Okay, I rocked it now, so you gotta keep up.

- I know.

I know.

- You gotta keep up with me now, all right?

- Oh, I don't know.

- [Buki] With a five, six, seven, eight, Mickela and I were learning the ropes of Korean drumming and dance.

- [Yusun] Go.

[drums beating] [drums continue beating] Now turn!

[drums beating] [everyone cheering] - [Buki] We didn't wanna hold Yusun and her team back, so Mickela and I took a step back to see what Yusun and her troop are known for.

- [Yusun] Ah!

[drums beating] [drums continue beating] Ah!

[drums beating] [dancers shouting] [drums beating] [dancers shouting] [drums beating] [drums beat faster] [Mickela and Buki clapping and cheering] - Woo!

Unbelievable.

Yusun and her dance troupe put the rhythm in me and Mickela, and take pride in passing on this ancient tradition, making sure the soundtrack of their culture never ends.

[drums beating] Ask any child of immigrants, and food can be a touchy subject.

From the smells that remain on your clothes for days, to those who openly yuck your yum, food can be a very tasty source of shame.

Over the Hudson and through the suburbs in Montclair, New Jersey, a group of Korean and Asian American moms are not having any of that, and are making sure every local kid has pride in their food and culture.

AAPI New Jersey was started in 2021 by a group of parents who wanted to address anti-Asian hate after the Atlanta spa shootings that left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian women.

Since then, their work has only expanded to uplift the voices of the community and promote awareness and education around Asian American and Pacific Islander culture and history.

AAPI New Jersey activist, ceramicist and full-time mom, Heidi Woo, invited me to her local ceramic studio to make Korean Bonchon bowls and learn about the Asian American experience.

- [Heidi] Do you want help to pull out the bowl?

- I absolutely want some help, Heidi.

- You do?

Okay.

- All right, let's put the wheel on.

- [Buki] Heidi grew up the daughter of Korean immigrants in Brooklyn, New York, where they owned a grocery store.

The journey to embracing her roots wasn't always easy.

- I now know that I was probably ashamed of being Korean, because I wanted to fit in.

I had like, a really thick Brooklyn accent and I was kind of like, I would swear like a sailor.

- I didn't hear a thing.

- Yeah, I got rid of it because kids made fun of me for being an Asian girl with a really thick Brooklyn accent.

As I was connecting with the Asian American community at school, I didn't feel like I quite belonged because I didn't know Korean very well.

I didn't have like, Korean mannerisms.

I don't even know what that means, but I was never doing it right.

- [Buki] Heidi says the turning point for her was the birth of her son, Benny.

- He had my eyes and he was so clearly an Asian American boy, and, you know, he's biracial, but because he looked so much like me, and I understood then like, oh my gosh, I'm raising an Asian boy and he's a person of color and I need to teach him something that I don't even know really well.

I needed to honor that part of him and honor that part of myself for him to be proud of who he was and really love who he was.

- [Buki] And it was the wave of anti-Asian violence that drove Heidi to become the advocate she is today.

- It was such a scary time for my family, 'cause my parents live in Manhattan and they ride the subway to work to Brooklyn.

And at the time, the people who were victims of violence were young women and the elderly, and so I was actually like, I was actually really afraid for my parents' life.

But that's how I got really involved in the advocacy.

It was because I was afraid for my family.

- How do you find the light in so much dark?

- I'm very protective of my joy.

Like, coming here is my joy and I make it my job to carve out space in my life to practice joy in order to feel hope.

- Well, I'll tell you what's not giving me joy, the fact that these walls have not gone up at all.

- Oh no.

- So unless, - - I haven't been giving any... - can we turn this into a bowl?

- [Heidi] Yeah.

- [Buki] After pottery class, Heidi got me into her kitchen to make Benny's lunch.

kimbap, a Korean staple.

- So just take about like, a cup of rice or less.

- [Buki] Right.

- And I like to start it in the middle.

Don't worry about making a mess.

- [Buki] Don't call it sushi.

Kimbap is all Korean.

These colorful treats are a feast for the eyes and the taste buds.

Made from distinctly Korean ingredients, like burdock root, bulgogi, sauteed carrots and more.

- I like your precision.

- [Buki] I'm making this for Benny, I have to make sure this is right.

- Thank you for being so kind to my son.

- [Buki] Heidi and the moms of AAPI New Jersey are the architects of the Love Your Lunch program.

They help educators in schools create lesson plans to nurture curiosity and pride in the foods that connect kids to their families and cultures.

- Love Your lunch is AAPI of New Jersey's kind of response to lunch shaming and food shaming, which is a really common occurrence among kids of immigrants and immigrants in general.

When I was a kid, my parents would cook kimchi all the time.

Kimchi is a really pungent food, so when you cook it it gets in all of your furniture and your clothes.

We are used to it, but when I had my friends over who weren't Korean for a play date, they really like, made fun of the way my house smelled and didn't wanna come over anymore.

And it was so embarrassing and it made me kind of sad because food is a love language in our culture, in so many cultures.

Part of this campaign was to teach kids to embrace this part of what makes them so special.

- With our fillings all laid out, we were ready to roll and slice the kimbap, and before we packed it up for little Benny, we ate the end pieces.

For a little quality control, of course.

Mm.

[Heidi garbles] - Healthy, nutritious, delicious.

What's not to love?

And like most kids, Benny couldn't resist sneaking a piece of his own.

He gave the thumbs up and it was off to school.

It's been a long time since I stepped into a lower school, but the memories of lunchtime, the good and the bad, stick with you.

I was joined at the kids' table by four incredible kids who are doing their part to uphold their tradition and culture through food.

Are those fried or are those baked?

- Fried.

- Mm.

Somia brought dahl and rice.

Carter brought the glass noodles.

Asha had dumplings.

And, of course, Benny supplied the kimbap.

I brought my lunch too.

Nigerian puff-puff and fried yams.

Not exactly a well-rounded lunch, but I didn't get one ew or gross at all.

Has anyone said anything like, not nice to you about your food that you bring for lunch?

No?

- Never ever.

Never.

- Never!

Oh my, you guys are living in a beautiful world.

You know, your moms were telling me about how you guys bring this lunch to school and how you guys share your lunches with so many people.

Do you think that really helps with like, understanding your culture?

- Yeah.

Yeah, definitely.

- Yeah.

- Okay, listen, you eating that kimbap like it's going out of style, so I think you love the Korean food too.

- I guess I do.

[Buki chuckling] - I had to meet the moms behind these extraordinary kids.

So we let the kids play on the playground while we talked about their work with AAPI, New Jersey.

How do we raise such great kids like that?

What's the secret?

- I had nothing to do with it.

[everyone laughing] - I think it really takes a community.

They need to see people that look like them, that eat food like them, and other people that are welcoming of that.

And I think the spark that really lit everything was when our kids were going back to school, and we realized that the school really needed to be aware of the outside issues that were happening, and address it so that our kids don't face the same sorts of challenges that we did when we were growing up.

- What has Love Your Lunch really done?

What has been a change that you've seen?

- He's Korean and he's black.

He's proud of being both.

He has no hangups about being, you know, a person of color, or people saying that he looks different or that his food is different.

Like, he embraces it.

- And once we build confidence in our children, you'll see that confidence around the classroom, and then everywhere else going forward.

So that was one of the biggest changes.

When you talk to the children, ask them to draw or talk about their favorite foods, their culture foods are included, which is great.

- In a few words, what does your culture mean to you?

- My culture, it's all about love.

And being from a place of love and the things that I share with my family.

- My family left India almost 100 years ago, and now I've landed up here where my kids are Asian American.

So to me, it really is home and home that has changed over the years.

And that's okay.

- My culture to me, is food.

[everyone laughing] Because in a lot of Asian American immigrant families, you don't get a lot of the "I love you's" from your parents.

- Oh, we should, yeah.

- You don't get a lot of the hug.

They show that they love you through food.

- Yes.

And a lot of it.

- [Beein] Yes.

[everyone laughing] - [Buki] What have we learned today, class?

Never mess with a mom on a mission.

Heidi and the moms of AAPI New Jersey are making sure every kid has a chance to learn, grow, and thrive in their cultures with pride, by making peace on the lunchtime battlefield.

Pride means confidence or satisfaction in oneself.

Easier said than done.

When you're not in the majority, when it feels like the deck is stacked against you, remember the team at God's Love We Deliver, Jose and Carlos and the LGBTQ community, Mickela Mallozzi, Yusun and her dance team, Heidi and the moms of AAPI New Jersey.

Every day, they put themselves out there, roll up their sleeves and make sure every community has a voice, so we all can live in a world we can be proud of.

[bright music]