Meir Kay's chance encounter with a homeless man sparked an idea that's turned into an annual event.
By Noah Manskar, Patch Staff | Feb 1, 2019 2:26 pm ET
NEW YORK — Meir Kay spotted a homeless man on the street about two years ago who was holding an unusual sign. He didn't need food or drink, it said — he felt invisible and just wanted someone to talk to.
With the Super Bowl coming up, the encounter gave Kay some inspiration. He invited five homeless people he met on the street to a party for the big game at a rooftop bar on Fifth Avenue, where they ate and hung out among the crowd.
"The Super Bowl is this unofficial holiday where family and friends get together. Someone who doesn't have them in their life could feel even that much more lonesome," said Kay, a 29-year-old video producer from Crown Heights.
Kay turned that impromptu invitation into an annual event called the "Super Soul Party." After planning parties in New York and Los Angeles last year, he's partnered with local shelters and is raising money through GoFundMe to make this year's celebration far bigger than the first.
Kay said he's expecting about 50 homeless people from two shelters and three to 15 more invited from the streets to gather in Chelsea on Sunday for this year's face-off between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.
About 30 volunteers will also attend the bash, which will feature a clothing drive and an on-site barber as well as food and drinks for the guests, he said.
The get-togethers have a clear impact on the homeless people who attend, Kay said.
"They have a sparkle in their eye," he said. "Their energy is on a whole other plane. They can look you in the eye, have a conversation and they're laughing, they're communicating."
Kay has a YouTube channel with more than 210,000 subscribers. Some of his videos have racked up millions of views, including one in which he high-fives people hailing taxis and another in which he turns a subway car into a dance club. His video from last year's Super Soul Party has been viewed more than 25,000 times.
Kay hopes to grow the parties into a larger organization that can host events across the country. He wants to have a party in 20 states next year and eventually expand to every state.
The parties are transformational not just for the homeless guests but also the volunteers, who get to interact with people whom they might not otherwise take the time to talk to, Kay said.
"It really opens up and gets them in touch with a part of themselves that they hadn't had a connection with in so long, and also takes away a stigma, takes away a fear afterwards of being able to approach people who are experiencing homelessness in the streets," Kay said.