Craig Murphey was an amazing guy. Constantly smiling, laughing, and making jokes or funny faces, he could turn any gathering into a ridiculously fun party, and any frown upside down. I was just getting to know him when his life was cut short by a tragic bicycle accident in October of 2007. In memory of Craig, the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and WHANAP established the Craig Murphey Fellowship Fund to create a fellowship for an individual to continue the important work that Craig did. On Saturday, October 17 at Hope Lounge (10 Hope St. betw. Roebling & Havemeyer Sts. in Brooklyn), a hummus cook-off and, subsequently, a party, will celebrate Craig's life and help raise money for the Craig Murphey Fellowship Fund.
Because Craig was so modest, I'd only had a vague idea of the scope of
his anti-poverty and anti-hunger efforts up until then. He worked as a
community organizer for Cathedral Community Cares at the Cathedral
Church of Saint John the Divine, coordinating and pioneering programs
to bring nutritious food to those in need. Via the West Harlem Action
Network Against Poverty (WHANAP) and the Feed the Solution campaign, he
worked tirelessly to improve the lives of New York's most impoverished
citizens.
The hummus cook-off will take place from 6-9. For $5, attendees can contribute to a good cause at the same time that they're honoring Craig's memory by eating one of his favorite foods. Following the cook-off, there will be a party and raffle with prizes donated by local businesses including Whisk, M Shanghai, tattoo artist Andy Perez and Brooklyn Bowl. A percentage of the bar's earnings and all the raffle ticket money will go to providing a salary for the next Craig Murphey fellow. All are invited to come out and celebrate Craig's life and work while ensuring that the Craig Murphey Fellowship Program will be able to carry on his legacy of community service in the years to come. More info can be found at http://www.craigmurphey.com/.
