Give Food To Those In Need With Restaurant Giving Week

By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 18, 2016 7:00PM

Photo courtesy of Zero Percent

Restaurant Giving Week kicks off soon in the hopes of solving Chicago's hunger problem.

"We believe hunger is a distribution problem, not a supply problem," says Raj Karmani, founder of Zero Percent and the organizer behind Restaurant Giving Week. "If we can scale the logistics, we can solve hunger and make sure everyone who needs fresh food can get it."

That's the idea behind Zero Percent, a platform that connects those who have fresh food that they can't sell (restaurants, supermarkets, cafeterias) with nonprofits that can distribute it quickly. They've managed to save and distribute more than 1,000,000 pounds of food so far. Continuing that work is the idea behind Restaurant Giving Week.

From February 22 through 28, if you give just $5 to one of Zero Percent's food receiving charities, you can get some great rewards at local Chicago restaurants. You're not giving the cash to Zero Percent—you're giving it to the food pantries and distribution centers they serve. "More than 200 non-profits have signed up to receive fresh food, and we’re not able to reach them," explains Karmani. "It turns out most of the supply is concentrated downtown, and the need is far south and far west." Getting that food to those in need is the goal of Restaurant Giving Week.

If you give, you get. Twenty-five different restaurants and cafes have signed on to give rewards to those who donate. You can get everything from a free gelato cone at Black Dog Gelato to an order of Ricotta beignets at River Valley Farmer's Table. The complete list is here.

Across all of these organizations, the one thing that unites them is that they offer a meal program as part of their services," explains Director of Growth Anna Jensen. "That little amount of money can literally solve the transportation logistics problem, because the supply is already there."

Not only do you get an awesome gift in exchange for your donation, you also get to see exactly where your money goes. Each donor will receive an "impact report" showing exactly where your money went, what it bought and how it helped in the fight against hunger.

Donate now. Give food to those in need, get a delicious treat, and watch your gift, along with others, help to stop hunger in Chicago.