Good Food for a Good Cause
Working in the culinary industry can be inspiring when you’re working for a Client that not only takes cares of its employees but strives to make a difference around the block and around the world.Inspired to find a way to use our culinary forces for good, our team in Washington, D.C. launched a Charity of the Month program at their café. On the last Friday of every month, they host a lunchtime fundraiser to raise awareness and money for the chosen charity.
The charities are chosen through personal stories or networking connections and the lunch fundraisers are a wonderful combination of food, community and awareness.
Putting the “Fun” in Fundraising
Working in tandem with our client and representatives from the chosen charity, the lunches are promoted across social media and our D.C. campus, and when lunchtime hits, our team whips out a delicious meal, themed around the cause.
When raising money for Save the Children Venezuela, the lunch menu was authentic Venezuelan dishes made with love by our Venezuelan chef and her team. And when raising money St. Jude Children’s Hospital D.C., the menu was themed around elevated renditions of popular kid’s menu items.
Additional lunch partnerships have included fundraising for Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL), a non-profit that supports LGBTQ youth in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region; the Ulman Foundation, which provides support for young adults impacted by cancer; Ayuda, an organization that provides legal, social and language services to immigrants facing injustice; the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and Charlie’s Place, which provides meals and basic necessities to homeless communities in D.C.
The employee-run and employee-funded program started in February 2019 and by the December luncheon they had exceeded their goal of $5,000. Given success of this program in its first year, our team is looking forward to continuing the momentum into 2020.
It’s a reminder that not all heroes wear capes, some wear chef coats, and Flagship’s culinary team has just started making its heroic difference from one small center in D.C.!
