By: Kim Aprill, Second Place Prize Winner, SEED20 2020

When the COVID-19 outbreak hit North Carolina and residents were instructed to shelter in place, life changed drastically for institutions and businesses, both large and small. Feeding Charlotte, an organization dedicated to relieving hunger while reducing food waste, started with a simple model: “Rescue” fresh, leftover food and deliver it to organizations that feed the hungry in Mecklenburg County. But when most of their food donors had to close their doors, “rescued” food was no longer an option. This presented a major problem for those organizations that relied on weekly food distribution from Feeding Charlotte’s donor partners. The staff at Feeding Charlotte had to come up with a new plan, one that would benefit both their food donors and recipients. They changed their course and are now having caterers, like Roots and QC Catering, make food each week to be distributed to their recipient partners. This is a win-win, in that some employees have avoided furlough specifically for this purpose. “Working with Feeding Charlotte has been a win/win. Not only were we able to strengthen our relationship with Feeding Charlotte, but Roots gets to keep a piece of its kitchen active, pay employees, and Feeding Charlotte can use that food to keep feeding people in need in our community. The need will only increase as this drags on, so we need all Charlotteans to pitch in,” said Craig Barbour, owner of Roots. These partnerships have been made possible to date through individual donations. To find out more or to make a donation, please go to https://www.feedingcharlotte.org/.