SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

• Let them eat ice cream.

When you eat ice cream, do you find yourself wondering if you’re doing enough to aid humanity? Do you find yourself hankering for a side of non-profit relief with your too-big scoop topped with too many rainbow sprinkles that is probably melting because of this un-godly heat?

Well, breathe easy beneficent gastronome, and allow me to introduce you to Guerilla Ice Cream.

Thanks to this non-profit start-up, you can enjoy an artisanal ice-cream indulgence and fulfill your daily altruism quota, right there at the Hester Street Fair. You see, Guerilla Ice Cream donates all of its profits “to support marginalized populations locally in New York City and internationally,” according to co-founders Ori Zohar and Ethan Frisch.

This summer, the company is working with the Street Vendor Project—a membership-based organization that provides support for street vendors who, if you’ve been paying any attention to the latest Bloomberg-assault-on-the-cooking-utensil-wielding-proletariat, are under attack along with their fellow food truckers.

“But what about the ice cream?!” you ask: great question. All of Guerilla Ice Cream’s flavors (only four official ones for now) take their inspiration from international political movements. Take their Libertação (72% Chocolate and Port Wine) for Guinea Bissau’s fight for independence. The sample I had was like eating a ball of half-melted dark chocolate while drinking a glass of the smoothest port to balance out the bitterness… all of this in a gelato-like ice cream of course, which makes it, like, 100 times more awesome.

I settled on the Red Corridor, a chai masala flavor (origin: India), which came with a topping of candied fennel and sliced almonds. (All of the Guerilla Ice Cream flavors come with a suggestion of two toppings, like brûléed frozen banana.) It tasted like, well, a very strong chai tea—the cardamom definitely makes itself known—but for lovers of the hot, spicy drink, this creamy version is certainly refreshing.

Guerrilla Ice Cream does not have a storefront, but that’s only a part of their DIY charm. For now, you can find them every Saturday at the Hester Street Fair and every Sunday at the Fulton Stall Market near the South Street Seaport, or follow their tweets at the twitter machine for future locations.