The LA-based Support + Feed initiative is coming to New York! About two weeks ago, Support + Feed launched in Los Angeles to aid local vegan restaurants and provide plant-based meals to those in need. In those past two weeks, over 1,550 meals, 625 donuts, and 1,000 cans of water were donated to frontline workers and vulnerable communities. Additionally, Beyond Meat agreed to match every meal donated and multiple water companies volunteered to regularly give canned water to first responders. After a successful start on the West Coast, the Support + Feed organization is ready to spread its reach to the New York City community.
Support + Feed was created by Maggie Baird, the mother of musical artists Billie Eilish and FINNEAS. She and her family expressed a fear of the impact that COVID-19 would have on local restaurants. She sought out a way to support these small businesses while providing meals to those who need them.
After the program deemed successful in Los Angeles, Maggie knew there was a need for something similar in New York. She shared that many people asked her if Support + Feed could be in New York. “We all watch the news and can see what’s going on. I lived in New York for over 10 years, and I go to New York all the time. I’m very familiar with it, and I know how they are suffering there.” Baird said.
So Maggie reached out to a few of her friends in the Big Apple and turned that hope into a reality! The New York program is in its beginning stages, but their team is working tirelessly to get restaurants, volunteers, and receiving organizations together. “It takes a lot more organization than just showing up with food,” revealed Baird.
How does it work? When you place an order at a participating restaurant, you’ll have the option to add on a monetary donation for the Support + Feed program. You can also choose to make a monetary donation only––but if you’re a local, you might want to order a tasty vegan meal for yourself! The restaurants then use the donations they receive to make meals that are safely picked up and delivered to their designated location following CDC regulations. They are brought to hospitals, first responders, homeless shelters, food pantries, women’s centers, and senior centers.
Participating Restaurants in New York:
- Beyond Sushi, beyondsushi.com
- by CHLOE., eatbychloe.com
- Marty’s V Burger, martysvburger.com
- V Spot, vspot.restaurant
Support + Feed is continuing to add participating restaurants in New York. Check out supportandfeed.com for more information.
Maggie Baird’s original hope was to inspire others to start a similar program in their community. Now, the Support + Feed organization might actually be able to help people do it. Baird stated, “If there are one or two volunteers in a city who can do some of the stuff we can’t do from afar, then we may be able to do it on our website. We can expand to other cities.”
If you’re looking for a way to help, here’s what you can do. First, spread the word! Share this information with your friends and family. Second, if you have the means, please donate to a participating restaurant—and maybe get a masterfully-crafted vegan dish for yourself! Finally, if you feel compelled to start something similar in your area, visit supportandfeed.com for more information.
“We have to ban together,” Baird stated, “to get this movement to stay alive and to expand. It’s the solution for so many issues that we have. I really appreciate everyone who’s jumped on board to try to help us help this get off the ground. It’s very moving to me.”
