Michael J P.’s Post

How Giving Kitchen is providing a bridge between crisis and stability for restaurateurs everywhere, providing emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. Only in Decatur Living... #decatur #communityengagement #communityimpact #communitydevelopment #community #communitybuilding #communitylove #restaurants #restaurants #restaurantlife #diningoutforlife #foodiegram #foodies #foodlovers #foodforthought #communitysupport 

Since I've had some events cancel due to Hurricane Helene, I've been spending some time this week trying to assess how our local food vendors are doing, which ones were most affected by the Hurricane and how to help them. While it's great to hear from some that they are fine and without damage...others were not as fortunate. I know that the buildings for Asheville Tea Company , Asheville Pretzel Company (in Swannanoa) and the one that housed the production facility for Biscuit Head (also in Swannanoa where they made their jams/flours)are out of commission/destroyed. I also know that Dynamite Roasting Co. in Black Mountain experienced some damage to their retail coffee shop but are still operational. Even if the buildings for local food and beverage makers weren't damaged, the lives of their staff and employees have been affected as well as their business by the flooding, loss of power, cell & WIFI service as well as road closures. Many of these companies also supplied WNC restaurants/food stores/bars and the damage/closure of these restaurants also affects their business. Here are a couple of ways you can help: 1. Go to the company's Facebook page or website and see how they are - send them a message of support. See if they are requesting you shop, buy a gift certificate or donate for their employees. 2. Look for their products in local stores, farmers markets and of course at Ingles Markets and buy them. Your purchases may make a big difference in keeping them going. At Ingles Markets look for the LOCAL food section and look for local brands like City Bakery, Dolci Di Maria and Annie's Breads in the Bakery, Sunshine Sammies in the Frozen section, Hickory Nut Gap @Brasstown Beef and Sunburst Trout Farms in the Meat/Seafood section and the many craft/artisan beers in Beer and Wine. 3. If you aren't in this area or just want to see many companies listed in one place, check out "Love Asheville From Afar" from Explore Asheville Meetings & Conventions https://lnkd.in/gheedjkh 4. Consider purchasing local products to feature at your holiday celebrations or gift giving events.

We have a story in the latest issue of Neighbourhood Media detailing all the work we do via Addison Road Food Pantry Camperdown, our low-cost grocery store which makes use of rescued, donated and purchased food to support the local community and its needs. The story (link below) shows how we help feed people from Mission Australia's Common Ground housing project and the nearby Johanna O’Dea Court, a multi-storey NSW Family and Community Services apartment block. It also explains how we serve people living on a tight budget in Camperdown and Glebe, as well as people who come to the pantry from right across the City of Sydney LGA. Most of all, the story is a celebration of our monthly Addi Road 'Let's Get Cooking' sessions (AKA "the Cook-Up"), which offers 260 free hot meals for Mission Australia and Joanna O'Dea residents, as well as those shopping at our Addi Road Food Pantry Camperdown. These sessions involve a monthly cooking demo inside the Common Ground building. Food literacy is the ultimate goal behind Addi Road's Let's Get Cooking program. As well as simply providing a free hot meal (and dessert) each month, we look at helping people to shop AND cook with often very limited funds. Each month there are easy recipes on offer (and ready to be tasted) along extra tips for stocking people's kitchen cupboards; a list of essentials to facilitate simple, inexpensive and nutritious recipes that will match whatever Addi Road Food Pantry might have in stock. It's about building an integrated food ecology for people battling. With a few extra special ingredients over a shared meal as the community comes together: camaraderie and connection. + #Addiroad #cityofsydney #foodrelief #foodjustice #housing #inequality #Camperdown #Glebe #MissionAustralia #homeless #battling #costofliving #poverty #resilience #mentalhealth #wellbeing #nutrition #diet #charity #community #freemeals #cookingworkshop #volunteers #caring #education #connection #letsgetcooking #neighbourhoodmedia https://lnkd.in/gs7vVEvM

Tackling food insecurity requires a multi pronged approach. So great to see CFBNJ’s forward thinking in action with a focus on health and nutrition, innovative food distribution and wrap around services!

Since Whataburger opened its doors in Corpus Christi in 1950, it has been the top spot for Texans hungry for quality burgers and friendly service. After Hurricane Beryl, many became app-savvy, using the Whataburger app to locate open restaurants, effectively turning it into a power outage map. This clever move helped unite the community during a rough patch. However, on November 20, 2024, Nearby Systems LLC decided to stir the pot with a lawsuit, claiming the app infringes on several patents, including US Pat. No. 9,532,164. For more details, check in with the Vorys IP Team: https://lnkd.in/g2DVrZku

We signed on to this letter, along with many other food-based nonprofits that exist to help our neighbors at risk of going hungry. We know we're not enough to meet this need. We need YOU. ------- Dane County, we need your help. As Dane County food pantries, we serve thousands of people in our community each day. Our shared mission is to make sure our neighbors don’t face hunger. But we are facing a serious challenge. Visits to many of our food pantries have more than doubled in the past two years. We know some of the reasons why. Food prices are higher and rent is rising more here than anywhere else in the country. Federal assistance that helped people make ends meet during the pandemic is gone. We are also the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin. Nearly 13% of kids in Dane County were food insecure in 2022, up from 7.5% in 2021 — and that was before our food pantries started seeing drastic increases in demand. We’re also spending more on food than ever before. The options we have to keep our shelves stocked continue to shift and are more limited than they were just a few years ago. Buying food in bulk is more expensive now and our traditional suppliers of free food can’t keep up with the demand. Permanent changes to the food system over the last few years mean there is less surplus available for our food pantries. These trends make it challenging to keep food on our shelves. Food pantries have worked hard to stretch our resources, space, and teams as far as possible. The pressure will rise in the coming weeks as kids have less access to free food with schools out for the summer. You can help. Making a financial donation to your local food pantry enables them to purchase needed food. We welcome food drives and volunteers, too. We know there is no quick or easy fix to food insecurity and the structural and economic factors that drive it. So we urge our local, county, state, and federal officials, as well as other community leaders, to help find long-term solutions to food insecurity. We can’t do it alone. This is a critical moment for us to come together for our neighbors. When our community supports local food pantries, we are stronger. With access to food, kids can learn, families can work, and seniors can stay healthy. It will take all of us to meet this challenge and make sure our neighbors don’t experience hunger. We are committed to doing all we can. We are asking you to join us.

Since Whataburger opened its doors in Corpus Christi in 1950, it has been the top spot for Texans hungry for quality burgers and friendly service. After Hurricane Beryl, many became app-savvy, using the Whataburger app to locate open restaurants, effectively turning it into a power outage map. This clever move helped unite the community during a rough patch. However, on November 20, 2024, Nearby Systems LLC decided to stir the pot with a lawsuit, claiming the app infringes on several patents, including US Pat. No. 9,532,164. For more details, check in with the Vorys IP Team: https://lnkd.in/g3ZbNSMP

Since Whataburger opened its doors in Corpus Christi in 1950, it has been the top spot for Texans hungry for quality burgers and friendly service. After Hurricane Beryl, many became app-savvy, using the Whataburger app to locate open restaurants, effectively turning it into a power outage map. This clever move helped unite the community during a rough patch. However, on November 20, 2024, Nearby Systems LLC decided to stir the pot with a lawsuit, claiming the app infringes on several patents, including US Pat. No. 9,532,164. For more details, check in with the Vorys IP Team: https://lnkd.in/gsphkMpX

The level of food insecurity in New York City has increased significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. According to an analysis by Feeding America, the number of New York City residents struggling with food insecurity has risen by 36% overall and by 46% among children. We are grateful to our grantee partner City Harvest for responding to the crisis. They have rescued more than 1 billion pounds of nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste—working with restaurants, wholesalers, grocery stores, farms, and other partners— to distribute that food to individuals and families in need. Learn more about our work to address food insecurity in NY: https://lnkd.in/dMeS2hN2

How to lend a helping hand in the wake of Hurricane Helene to our beloved Asheville and Buncombe County businesses that have been deeply affected by the storm. While the community comes together to rebuild, you can help by shopping at these businesses' online stores or contributing to fundraising efforts.