UB’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics program hosts crowdfunding event for immigrant-run business

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Soup’s on! It’s another Buffalo Soup & Social event, an innovative crowdfunding initiative started in 2023 by five undergraduates in an experiential learning course in the University at Buffalo’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program (PPE).

The next Buffalo Soup & Social is an opportunity to support one of Buffalo’s immigrant-run businesses. The event at Resurgence Brewing Co., 55 Chicago St. in Buffalo, is happening April 29 at 5:30 pm.

The event is a community-based showcase where each guest purchases a light meal, and local businesses have a chance to secure a microgrant. Guests of Buffalo Soup & Social pay-as-they-can (the suggested donation is $5 to $25 person person) for soup and drinks. The donations are then pooled. Four representatives from each of the participating Buffalo businesses present their pitch during dinner. Afterwards, attendees vote on which of the four should receive the donations.

The Buffalo Soup & Social is made possible by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. PPE is presenting Buffalo Soup & Social in partnership with the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions’ Office of Global Health Initiatives and BootSector.

Presenters for the upcoming event will be:

• Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine, 617 Main St.
• Asian Boutique, 1432 Niagara St.
• Moneybags Dumplings, 69 Chenango St.
• Zay’s Fashion, 370 Amherst St.

This event is a way to celebrate and recognize how immigrants and refugees revitalize a community through food, music, art and craft, according to Alexandra Oprea, PhD, assistant professor of philosophy at UB.

“New arrivals bring with them elements of their own culture and the process of sharing that culture generates culinary fusions, musical mélanges and linguistic hybrids” says Oprea. “The marketplace is an often-overlooked space for cultural contact that draws people into encounters with others through fundamental human universals like sharing food, swaying to music and contemplating art.

“It is here that we expect the first steps to be taken towards building the communal ties that bind us together.”