How Vegan Businesses Are Feeding the Community During the COVID-19 Crisis (And How You Can Help, Too!)
Amanda Waxman
With COVID-19 impacting vulnerable populations across the US and abroad, vegan businesses have stepped up to ensure communities receive the food and support they need.
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented stress on our food and healthcare systems, impacting populations who are already vulnerable, including service workers, healthcare professionals, older adults, and people experiencing homelessness.
Even though these times are uncertain and scary, small business owners and other members of the vegan community have been stepping up to provide support for those in need. We’ve collected stories from across the country about these compassionate businesses who are giving people hope in this time of crisis. And, if you’re feeling inspired, you can help too from the safety and comforts of home.
Support + Feed, Los Angeles, CA
Founded by Maggie May Baird, mother of musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, the Support + Feed project provides a way for community members to support both local restaurants and donate food to those in need. Through their website, donors can pay for meals from a variety of Los Angeles vegan restaurants, including local favorites Donut Friend, By CHLOE, Pura Vita, and Sage Bistro. Once restaurants receive enough orders, they will prepare and send donated meals to recipients, including major hospitals, senior centers, women and children’s shelters, first responders, and food banks.
Although Support + Feed only operates in Los Angeles, you can donate from anywhere. Their website contains a guide on how organizers can start their own Support + Feed projects in their city.
Plants to the People, Brooklyn, NY
New York City has been one of the hardest-hit locations by COVID-19. Thankfully, plenty of organizers have stepped up to help. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, along with fellow animal rights organization Mercy for Animals, teamed up with vegetarian hunger-relief organization Community Solidarity to distribute plant-based food in neighborhoods experiencing food insecurity.
Mercy for Animals purchased 2,000 pre-packaged take-out meals from local vegan spots like Brooklyn Whiskers, Champs Diner, and Screamers’ Pizza to distribute safely in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Hempstead neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The initiative “not only secured nutrient-dense, high-protein, and 100 percent plant-based meals but also supported small businesses located in underserved communities,” according to Mercy For Animals’ debrief on their new Plants to the People project. In a time where both small businesses and families are hurting, projects like Support + Feed and Plants to the People provide individuals with vital meals while also giving valuable financial support for vegan restaurants to stay afloat.
Fancy Plants Catering, Chicago, IL
Like many other restaurants practicing social distancing, Chicago-based vegan cafe Fancy Plants has made the switch to online meal delivery. However, when they rolled out their new model, they added an opportunity for social good: 10 percent of the proceeds from Fancy Plants’ online orders will go toward free meals for the community. Founder and chef Kevin Schuder is personally and safely distributing meals via curbside pickup at Fancy Plants’ Lakeview neighborhood location on Thursday afternoons. Schuder, who has a history of supporting Food Not Bombs and other initiatives to feed the hungry, is hoping the online ordering proceeds can make a huge impact, stating, “Even $100 can make a lot of Italian White Bean, Potato, and Kale Soup.” Chicago residents can place orders for delivery—and support local food donations—using Fancy Plants’ website.
Your Local Seitanist, Chattanooga, TN
When Your Local Seitanist founder and chef, Willow St. Deli, saw COVID-19’s impact on her community, she decided the best thing she could do was “feed the dang kids!” Knowing that many local parents and kids would be struggling due to layoffs and school closures, she stocked up on vegan goods from Costco and Sam’s Club in order to open up a community pantry. She makes regular shopping trips to restock the pantry and prepares premade bagged lunches in between opening the pantry to the public. The community has rallied around her and provided financial support for her shopping trips, which can total nearly $1,000. You can donate to the Your Local Seitanists’ community pantry on their website, with each three-dollar donation equating to three meals for a family in need.
Sophie’s Kitchen, San Francisco, CA
Sophie’s Kitchen is known for its gourmet, plant-based seafood alternatives like crab cakes, smoked salmon, and “toona". When CEO Miles Woodruff learned of the impact COVID-19 could have on local food banks, he realized that Sophie’s Kitchen’s canned, shelf-stable lemongrass toona could be a perfect item to donate. He hopped into his “trusty pick-up truck” with 2,901 cases of the product (valued at $210,000) and hand-delivered them to Second Harvest Silicon Valley, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County, and San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. Woodruff said in a statement, “Corporations and individuals need to turn the tide of hoarding and price gouging and support those within their sphere of influence. Now more than ever is a time to be uncomfortably good to others.”
Rebel Kitchen, London, UK
After the coronavirus outbreak hit London, community food banks suffered donation losses as people stockpiled and “panic bought” the shelf-stable goods they rely on. In response to this, vegan brand Rebel Kitchen donated 14,000 of its plant-based “mylk” shakes to hospitals and food banks. When explaining their decision, Rebel Kitchen stated, "Despite being a small business, we wanted to act like Rebels, setting an example and supporting those in need." The company plans to donate more shakes as well as put out a call on Instagram to connect the company with more food banks and hospitals in need of donations.
We could not be more grateful for all of these compassionate businesses helping their communities. If you’re feeling inspired to make sure everyone has access to healthy, plant-based food in your own community, we encourage you to support your local food bank.
