We’re back this week to share some more encouragement and hopefully bring a smile to your face as we take a look at all of the amazing ways our community has stepped in to help feed those in need.
If you would have told us a month or two ago that we would be producing over 15,000 meals per week, we wouldn’t have believed you! But thanks to generous partners and volunteers who are donating food and helping produce, pack, and distribute meals, tens of thousands of hungry people are being fed in their time of need.
Volunteer superstars from the South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts Department, food support from Stanz, storage assistance from the University of Notre Dame and funding from many sources including the United Way of St. Joseph County made it possible for us to go from 3,600 meals per week to 15,000 plus meals per week. We are blessed to be a part of a concerted, organized effort to help community members in need of food support during the COVID19 crisis!
Exciting Community Involvement This Week
The Food Bank of Northern Indiana
The Food Bank of Northern Indiana is a staple in fighting hunger in our community and a valuable food supplier for Cultivate. One of the ways we partner with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana is by taking excess vegetables off their hands. With the support of volunteers, Cultivate can clean, cook and freeze these vegetables before they go bad. Fresh and frozen vegetables add valuable nutrition to our frozen meals, and they’re also a component we often have to purchase, so donations like this from the Food Bank prevent waste, reduces our food costs, and adds nutrition to our meals. We are so thankful to have the Food Bank of Northern Indiana as a valuable food partner in fighting hunger in our community!
Prime Table Restaurant
Restaurants have found their businesses turned upside down in this COVID-19 crisis. Restaurants like the Prime Table are cornerstones in our community where friends and families gather. Even when times are good, they’re always committed to serving our communities, and that has not changed during these more difficult days. Cultivate would like to thank the Prime Table for their generous donation of nearly 1,000 pounds of food and we are committed to not let a single pound of this donation go to waste!
Proudly Serving Veterans in Need
Cultivate is proud to help those who put it all on the line for their country. We currently have the pleasure of serving 60 Veterans who find themselves shut in at home during the COVID-19 crisis.
Featured on Hometown Living (WSBT)
Cultivate’s Co-Founder Jim Conklin was interviewed by Jackie Sharpley of WSBT’s Hometown Living. Follow the link to watch Jim share how Second Helpings in Indianapolis inspired Jim and others to replicate their model of food rescue that feeds the hungry.
Get Involved in the Fight Against Food Insecurity
We need your support to keep providing meals to those in need during the months of May, June, July, and August.
You can carry a family through these uncertain times by making a gift of $140 or a monthly commitment of $35/month for the months of May through August. All gifts are tax-deductible and will go towards feeding the hungry in our community.
Please consider giving today by donating securely online here or mailing your check made out to Cultivate to 1403 Prairie Ave., South Bend, IN 46613.