This week, Mercy For Animals partnered with I Grow Chicago, a community organization working to address the traumatic effects of violence and poverty, to donate and deliver 250 plant-based meals to Chicago families in need.
We are incredibly grateful to the compassionate restaurants and food trucks that participated: Majani, Original Soul Vegetarian, Ste Martaen, Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat, and Libby’s Corner.
Through our Plants to the People initiative, we have already donated 2,000 meals to people in areas hardest hit by the current crisis. Last month, Plants to the People distributed meals in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Hempstead communities of New York City—just days after Governor Cuomo issued the initial lock-down order.
Mercy For Animals is committed to creating a compassionate food system, and part of that includes ensuring everyone has access to healthy, sustainable plant-based food. For this reason, we not only secured nutrient-dense, high-protein, and 100 percent plant-based meals but also supported small businesses located in underserved communities.
During this extraordinarily challenging time, when many families struggle to afford healthy meals, we feel an intervention like Plants to the People, which tangibly helps communities, best embodies the spirit of our mission to protect the most vulnerable. To weather this storm, we must work together to create systems and economies that support us all.
Mercy For Animals has long known the value and impact of delivering healthy plant-based food to communities. Through our food policy program, we have provided chef training, nutritional support, and other resources to school districts and cities in Brazil and Mexico, enabling them to serve more plant-based meals. Mercy For Animals is also working with local and regional governments in the United States to secure policies that tackle climate change by supporting sustainable plant-based food choices.
You can support our crucial food policy efforts and other work to help farmed animals by making a donation today.
Want to do more? We can all do our part to support small vegan businesses by ordering contactless delivery, buying gift cards, or leaving positive reviews on social media. Check out HappyCow to find a business near you.