Best of the Bronx: Victor Rivera

A Bronx man who was once in prison and unable to read is now the CEO of a company that provides homes and meals to those in need.
Victor Rivera is the CEO of Bronx Parent Housing Network, but says he wasn’t always on the corporate path.
"When I came home from prison Feb. 2, 1990, I had a third-grade reading level and didn’t know how to read or write,” says Rivera.
Rivera was a drug addict and homeless before getting out of prison and turning his life around.

"I was one of those statistics that was not supposed to make it, yet here I am,” says Rivera.

The Loving Arms Soup Kitchen is now up and running thanks in part to him and another kind heart.

“An anonymous donor called me and I asked who it was and he didn’t want to disclose, and he said we need a soup kitchen,” says Rivera.
Four hundred meals are served every day at the Loving Arms Sup Kitchen, and food is never put to waste. Rivera says all and any leftovers go to someone in need.
"For me, it gives me a good feeling to see someone eating and for them I understand because I was in that position at one time, so I know how appreciative they are of the food they are given,” says Rivera.
The staff is made up of both volunteers and employees, but all serving their soup with a smile.