3 generations of Lower East Side family helping feed their community

LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Three generations of a Lower East Side family are all about feeding their community.  

Norma Chu, 100, is leading the way. Chu is a powerful force on the Lower East Side, always giving back to her community. Her giving is contagious and it's in her DNA, handed down to the next two generations.

You can usually find Chu in the middle of the action of her friends, family, and community. She came from very humble beginnings. She's one of nine children to two Chinese parents. She grew up in Montreal and moved to New York City to go to Columbia University. Chu said she worked two years to pay for her tuition.

Chu's son Don Hong said it’s his mother's story that fuels him to help others and also pushes him to be his very best. Hong is the president of the nonprofit UA3. 

For eight years, it’s been a respected organization on the Lower East Side that has helped distribute more than $30 million of food to families in need in New York City, from Jamaica, Queens to Brownsville, Brooklyn. 

Hong said the organization is really run by his two children now. Chu could not be prouder of that.

Chu said it’s not just about doing good, but it’s also about spreading happiness and kindness. The bottom line, she said, it’s all about caring for people and bringing them together.

If you have a story, reach out to Monica Morales at monica@pix11.com