NEW YORK — God’s Love We Deliver has a new home.
The nonprofit, which provides meals to New Yorkers living with illnesses, opened an expanded facility, the Michael Kors Building, in SoHo on Tuesday morning with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony.
“When you think about how God’s Love started, it was a basement of a church. It really was all about, let’s look at the problem and what can we do to solve something,” remarked Kors, a longtime supporter of the charity, before the event. “That’s what God’s Love is about: taking a stranger and turning them into a neighbor.”
The building includes a bakery named in honor of the late actress Joan Rivers, who was involved with the charity for many years, and was particularly fond of its baked goods.
“Yesterday was Joan’s birthday, so I think this is her birthday gift,” Kors said. “She was really what I call a ‘roll-up-your-sleeves’ kind of person.” She also complemented Kors well at the organization. “I’m not a good baker,” the designer admitted. “I chop vegetables beautifully, and I deliver fabulously, and I pack beautifully. I just don’t bake.”
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Melissa Rivers is continuing her mother’s legacy at the organization, and was recently named to the board.
“I remember when my mother held the first fund-raiser for the original building in her apartment in New York,” Rivers reflected, son Cooper by her side. “She loved their brownies, and she was a fan of sugar, salt and butter all combined in the correct quantities to make something very carb-filled. This [dedication] would make her very happy.”
With the light rainfall of the morning letting up, Mayor Bill de Blasio took the stage before a crowd that also included John Demsey and Blaine Trump.
“It’s an exciting day for this whole city. It represents the best of us,” de Blasio remarked. “This is one of the moments when you feel particularly proud to be a New Yorker…This is about compassion, and doing something even when we don’t know the road forward,” he continued, before addressing Kors in the front row. “Michael, I know you looked at the situation and you said something just had to happen. You’re the kind of guy who makes something happen. On behalf of all New Yorkers, let’s thank Michael Kors.”