Locally fed — UC Students on a Mission to Give
We may be “out of quarantine” and past most phases of re-opening in Cincinnati, but the impact and so many of its lasting effects are still very much at the forefront of many local business’s and individual’s day-to-day. Enter: University of Cincinnati students aiming to make a difference on both of those fronts!
Madi Rinaldi, Madalyn Norman and Emily Buck, who were all friends prior with interest in a similar space — volunteering and participating in clubs consulting for non-profit organizations — came together last month to start Locally Fed.
One question stuck out to them as they developed the entity that is Locally Fed: how could they create something that would guide young people from feeling helpless amidst our country’s COVID-19 situation, on a local front! Many of their friends and peers were echoing a similar question; where to give? To businesses and also those physically suffering.
From there, the trio came across an organization called “Support & Feed” which started in LA and then expanded to NY and Philly. The foundation and framework of this org was similar to which these girls were seeking: fundraise to purchase large orders of meals from restaurants (plant-based and vegan, or at least, a focus on health). So they decided to bring this model to Cincy!
Next steps? They got the ball rolling with a quick call. With a few recommendations, they called a restaurant, asked if they would want a donation. Things caught from there and fast forward to now…
To date, the girls have completed 1 round of meal donations: they fundraised, purchased food, and then dropped off to those in need. They worked with the Bethany House for this initial pilot run in which they sought & received most of their donations through friends and family.
Goals moving forward are:
- Physically feeding those most affected by the pandemic – hospital workers, first responders, and those in senior homes and shelters.
- Financially feeding local restaurants who are suffering as a result of the pandemic.
Fundraising is ongoing cycle and they plan to drop off another round of meals soon. What they’re attempting to do now is gain visibility. They’d like to branch out of their own personal circle and tap into other groups of young students and adults who are looking for ways to give — now more than ever, even as they “hype” of giving settles a bit.
Interested in helping? You’ll feel confident in knowing exactly where your money goes with this group: to those directly in need! Here’s how:
- Hit their website
- Hop on over to the Contact page – fill out your info and any specific requests or ideas for helping (deliveries, donations)
- Check out their updates on social media
- Share a $5/10/15/20 donation and ask your friends & family to match!
Hats off to these girls, we can’t wait to see where this goes!
