Food banks and restaurants are providing for those in need of meals amidst coronavirus, but it’s not easy. Thankfully, one team from North Carolina received a $200,000 anonymous donation that helped them make over 1,000 free meals for the hungry! Read on to discover more about this incredible story…
Teaming Up
Flori Pate, co-founder of Food Connection, a non-profit that helps feed the hungry, did not waste a second when COVID-19 hit: she and her team immediately started making meals for those in need. Shortly after Pate began, others began to get word of her project and wanted to join forces. Like Wicked Weed Brewing, one f the best restaurants in all of North Carolina. The brewery even earned a James Beard Award nomination!
“Towards the end of March, I got a call from (Wicked Weed community engagement coordinator) Rachel Dudasik saying they wanted to donate fresh meals for Food Connection to distribute to our community partners,” said Pate. Then in March, they got more help from the YMCA of Western North Carolina to collect more food and cook more food! Still, even with the added help, the number of hungry simply kept growing in the face of the coronavirus…
Numbers Continue Growing
Despite delivering over 900 meals a day just a month into lockdowns, Food Connection still could not meet the demand. That’s when something incredible happened…
Just when they needed it the most, Food Connection received an anonymous donation of a whopping $200,000! This amount of money completely changed the non-profit’s ability to help those in need. Suddenly, the team could cover food and distribution costs for over 5,000 meals a week, far exceeding their demands. Not only that, but the incredible anonymous donation also allowed Food Connection to hire more people, spreading their reach and ensuring everyone receives their food quickly!
Meanwhile, believe it or not, it seems that the same person made another donation to the YMCA. But this incredible story does not end there…
Unconditional Support
The meals mentioned are not just simple cheap ones but rather healthy and delicious. One of the menus that teams created included smoked trout, corn pudding, and green beans. The places that got some incredible meals are the Big Ivy Community Center in Barnardsville, Trinity Place for Runaway Youth, Homeward Bound of WNC’s temporary shelter at Harrah’s Cherokee Center as well as many out-of-work industry workers.
“Donations continue to come in, and we are getting many chefs back in the kitchen to create meals for Food Connection to distribute. It is beautiful, and a ‘win-win’ for Asheville,” she commented. “We see the faces each day and the beautiful impact that your generosity is making within Western Carolina,” she shared a message for the donor that gave up so much money and provided a lot of meals to the hungry. “We are forever grateful to you.”
Sources: MSN, Citizen-Times