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After being faced with COVID-19 and recovering from the virus, Jose Tutiven felt like he needed to step up and help those on the frontlines of this pandemic every single day.
“To experience it first-hand and I was like wow, this sucks,” Tutiven said. “And if I can imagine all the people working in the hospitals right now, it is probably 10 times worse. So, how could I help out?”
The Brentwood resident then reached out to Juventus Pizzeria in Deer Park — a local business struggling during this state-wide restaurant closure — about giving back to healthcare workers in the form of pizza pies.
“I called them and asked how they were doing with the business,” he said. “The traffic isn’t there anymore, so I was like hey, do you guys want to partner up.”
Since the healthcare professionals are working non-stop at the hospitals, Tutiven said pizza seemed like the easiest food they can provide for them and something everyone would enjoy.
Once Tutiven figured out where to get the food, he and his Bay Shore-based art organization, Colored Colors, launched the #FeedTheHeroes community campaign.
Colored Colors is an all-inclusive platform that strives to build a community between creatives through various art events and showcases.
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The Colored Colors Instagram page has over 2,600 followers, which helped jumpstart this campaign.
On April 2, after the first week of fundraising, #FeedTheHeroes donated 30 sponsored pizza pies to North Shore University Hospital.
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In Week 2, 37 pies were donated to feed the workers of Huntington Hospital. This number jumped to 50 pies for Southside Hospital in Bay Shore during the third week of the #FeedTheHeroes campaign.
By the fourth week, Colored Colors reached 85 sponsored pizza pies for Stony Brook Hospital and this week, 51 pies were handed out to those at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn.
“[At Stony Brook] we pulled up, we got to the front, and 20 nurses came down to take the pies from the cars,” Tutiven said. “They just had fun with it.”
In total, the #FeedTheHeroes community campaign has provided a total of 202 pizza pies thus far to frontline hospital workers on Long Island and has raised over $2020 in funds.
“Every week, it just gets bigger and bigger,” Tutiven said. “I want it to touch the whole island.”
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Those who want to support the campaign can sponsor a pizza pie for $10 and 100 percent of the donations go to the #FeedTheHeroes. Donations can be made through the CashApp to $ColoredColors.
Tutiven is no stranger in giving back to his communities.
The Long Islander is a candidate for the American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign and he was recently inducted to the Long Island 30 under 30 Young Professionals by the Long Island Business News.
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Through Colored Colors, he has provided a platform to connect artists and creatives throughout the island and other parts of the country.
Last April, Colored Colors planned to host a major art and fashion show fundraiser in honor of cancer survivors called “Strides: A Fashion and Art Gala Event” at The Hilton Long Island in Huntington. This past weekend, Colored Colors would have been hosting a two-day art festival in New York City’s Hudson Yards in an effort to expand its locality.
Unfortunately, both events were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
However, Tutiven said Colored Colors is still working to keep the creative community together virtually through their social media.
On March 31, they launched their Colored Colors IG Live Chat, which are various live-streamed shows, such as poetry sessions, local musicians, cooking segments, and more. They also host artist talks, game shows, and other weekly social media content that gains about 500 views per week.
Earlier in March, the art collective began hosting a contactless scavenger hunt, “Long Island’s Great Art Find,” sponsored by Pinot’s Palette in Bay Shore. Art canvas will be placed throughout Long Island and participants will receive hints via phone.
Tutiven said he hopes to spread awareness and encourage more people to give back to their communities during this difficult period.
In addition to the #FeedTheHeroes campaign for healthcare workers, the Colored Colors founder said this week the group is partnering with more sponsors to feed between 30 to 40 families for one night.
So far, they have raised around $1,500 in sponsorship money and are aiming to reach their goal of $2,000.
“It feels good to give back,” Tutiven said. “I always say it’s not just me, Colored Colors is a community. We try to make it as light and heartwarming as we can during these times.”
All photos provided by Jose Tutiven and the Colored Colors Instagram page.
