4Bronx organization honored for giving back to community

For Laura Levine-Pinedo, giving back to the northwest Bronx is something that has come to her naturally for years. That’s why it wasn’t so difficult for state Sen. Gustavo Rivera to honor her with the Empire Award on June 15.

The award is in recognition of the grassroots project 4Bronx, which she started in 2022. That organization has provided numerous resources and supplies for the people of the Bronx.

“I am inspired by you in all sincerity,” Rivera said to the honoree at the KRVC community space. “Because this is not something that you have to do. You can just do your work, you can be at home and you don’t have to do anything else. But you choose to give back to the community consistently.”

Rivera reminisced on meeting Levine-Pinedo for the first time at a Pride event she did last year. The look on her face told him she was someone he should stay out of the way of “because when she wants to get something done, she’s just going to walk right through it, and she’s going to get it done.”

Rivera gives the Empire Award to local businesses that demonstrate “exemplary service to customers and community” in his district. While he does not view Levine-Pinedo herself as a business, he found it significant to honor her and the 4Bronx project. 

“This is not just for me,” Levine-Pinedo said to The Riverdale Press, “because I am not just 4Bronx. It’s all of my volunteers, it’s all of the community members, the project for the community, by the people.”

While accepting the award, Levine-Pinedo explained the legacy behind the “4B” in 4Bronx.

She grew up in apartment 4B with her grandmother, Meema, who taught her how to give back despite not having much herself.

“She taught me generosity,” Levine-Pinedo said.  “So my work is for her, this is for her and her legacy lives on.”

Levine-Pinedo also thanked the KRVC for giving 4Bronx a home when she approached them about the project last year.

She joined the not-for-profit organization in 2022, acquiring their truck and using it to redirect thousands of pounds of resources and services for Bronx residents as part of her project.

Levine-Pinedo told The Press giving back is her main passion. Her father is a disabled veteran and dealt with homelessness and food insecurity when she was a child. She did not deal with it herself thanks to her mother, but seeing her father in that state gave her insight into what others were going through.

She’s organized events such as Riverdale Pride and Riverdale Restaurant Week alongside Michael Gabert while also managing Bronx Burger House. Even on the morning of the award ceremony, she received calls from a shelter regarding items needed. She said there should be no reason why anyone in the Bronx doesn’t have a pair of shoes.

Diversity and an inclusive community are important to Levine-Pinedo. 4Bronx created Black-owned business video spotlights for Black History Month where businesses were awarded citations of merits by the Bronx borough president and also LGBTQ+ business spotlights on her Instagram.

She recently held a pride event with live music and drag queen performances on June 4, drawing crowds of more than 400 people, from Connecticut and Brooklyn.

She said many people in North Riverdale were not happy about last year’s Pride event, considering it “taboo.” However, this year’s event doubled in attendance. She said it’s necessary for members of the LGBTQ+ to know at a time like this that the Riverdale community supports and celebrates them.

Rivera, who recently officiated a same-sex marriage in Florida, spoke of the importance of safe places and welcoming areas for members of the LGBTQ+.

Celebrating people for who they are helps to ward off the worst aspects of this “creeping fascism” that we’re getting from time to time.

“I thought it was important to just underline someone like Laura and the project because again, she goes out of her way to find people who have needs and figure out who can actually fulfill that need and connect them,” Rivera said.

Leftover donations from the Pride event will go to an LGBTQ+ carnival at the concourse house in a women and children’s shelter on July 1.

4Bronx will also start a podcast based at the KRVC community space where they will have community members come to tell their stories and talk about their businesses.

Levine-Pinedo’s mother, Ann Marie, described her daughter as someone who quietly helps people who are forgotten and is an example of someone we should all strive to be like.

The senator also presented the Empire Award to the Bronx Beer Hall on June 15.