Mother calls daughter a family hero

Phyllis Arffa at work. /Elissa Arffa

Here’s what Elissa Arffa wrote:

“My hero is my daughter Phyllis Arffa. She works very hard running and cooking at BLAZE, a Hope street restaurant on the East Side of Providence. She learned about hard work and giving to others while she spent her junior year of high school at an agricultural school in Israel.

“She gives to the community in many ways. This is the fourth year she has provided 100 Thanksgiving meals to homebound elderly through the Mt. Hope Neighborhood Association. She also donates her time and food to many other community organizations such as: AIDS Care of RI, Southside Community Land Trust and various woman’s groups such as those that help women who have been trafficked for sex or slavery.

“She recently started a vegan food truck called Ooh-Mommi; the name is derived from the word Umami which means the fifth taste which is the thing in food that makes it irresistible. She wanted to introduce people in Rhode Island to healthier food choices that are also delicious.

“When my father was in hospice and was hardly eating, she made chicken soup with matzah balls which he loved. When my daughter-in-law was pregnant and on bed rest Phyllis made meals for her and her family and delivered them to Massachusetts.

“Phyllis and her wife Christine have helped raise a nephew, niece and cousins. Since I live alone she has helped me fix things in my condo.

“She is a most loving and caring person in my family and she is my hero.”