Feed The Heroes has already raised €550,000 in just two weeks.
A national fundraising campaign, Feed The Heroes was set up to raise money to feed frontline staff. Put in place just two weeks ago, the campaign has already amassed €550,000 in donations. Aiming to provide nutritious meals to all those working tirelessly in the fight against Covid-19, over 18,500 meals have been delivered nationwide - coming from more than 11,000 individual donations.
A team of 20 volunteers and an advisory board lead and coordinate the effort, partnering with various local restaurants, takeaways, caterers and commercial kitchens, to ensure that meals go where they are needed. So far meals have been delivered to staff at the Covid-19 Testing Centres, HSE Contact Tracing, the National Ambulance Service and the Fire Brigade as well as hospital workers.
Feed The Heroes fund founder, Cian O’Flaherty said,
“We have been completely blown away by the response of the Irish people. They have transformed what began as an ambition to raise €1,000 to buy a few meals into a national operation that to date has delivered more than 18,500 meals to critical frontline workers nationwide. More than 11,300 Irish people have contributed to Feed The Heroes from a 7-year-old donating €5 of their pocket money to a €20,000 donation from Republic of Ireland International and Everton football player, Seamus Coleman.
Every single euro makes a difference and we take the responsibility entrusted to us by all our donors very seriously. We now have 20 volunteers co-ordinating our efforts along with an advisory board to ensure we are operating to the highest corporate governance principles.
Our mission is simple, to get food to Ireland’s critical frontline workers and our intention now is to continue to grow the Fund to enable us to support Ireland’s frontline heroes for the duration of the Covid-19 emergency. The meals are greatly appreciated by those who receive them not just for the food itself but also for what it represents - a symbol of our solidarity with and gratitude to those combating Ireland’s biggest ever public health emergency.”
According to organisers, the intention is to sustain the meal delivery service throughout the Covid-19 emergency. Each meal costs approximately €7 to prepare and deliver, and anyone wishing to make a donation can do so through the
GoFund Me page. Corporate donations are also most welcome and can be organised via email (corporatedonations@feedtheheroes.com).
With most staff working long unsociable hours in very challenging circumstances, many do not have the time nor the energy to dedicate to meal prep, so Feed The Heroes is a lovely way to show solidarity and gratitude.
