Finding a way to leverage the restaurant industry and help feed people in need was the challenge Derek Juno and his partners set for themselves when they created Mealshare.
Barely two years in, the idea has caught on like Happy Hour or two-for-one appies and continues to grow, as restaurants around the country sign up for the program as a way to become more socially conscious.
Mealshare now has approximately 250 eateries signed up B次元官网网址� thereB次元官网网址檚 16 in Greater Victoria and three on the West Shore B次元官网网址� and recently hit a milestone by providing its 500,000th meal.
B次元官网网址淔or a little idea that came out of Victoria, itB次元官网网址檚 pretty amazing to know weB次元官网网址檝e provided half a million meals to people in need,B次元官网网址� says Juno, a former Colwood resident who now serves as the organizationB次元官网网址檚 vice-president of business development. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a pretty amazing feeling to know we have so much support in so many of our cities.B次元官网网址�
The idea is simple: diners visit a participating restaurant and choose from several designated menu items. One dollar from the sale of those items goes to Mealshare, which donates funds to social service groups offering meals to the less fortunate.
Victoria-area restaurants have proven to be big supporters of the program, Juno says, pointing to the nearly 83,000 meals provided. For the most part, funds raised in a specific community stay in that community and help service providers do what they do best. The soup kitchen at Our Place, for example, is a beneficiary of Mealshare donations.
That local connection helps restaurateurs feel like theyB次元官网网址檙e making a difference, Juno says.
B次元官网网址淥ne thing weB次元官网网址檙e starting to see in our second year, is that this is a program our restaurant partners have become really proud of,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚t turns the restaurant into a social enterprise, not just a regular business.B次元官网网址�
One of those community partners is FloydB次元官网网址檚 Diner, which is engaged in Mealshare at its Langford and downtown Victoria locations.
FloydB次元官网网址檚 operations manager Michelle Boyd calls the program and its founders B次元官网网址渁mazingB次元官网网址� and appreciates the ease with which her customers can participate in the program.
B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 believe their ingeniousness and their social entrepreneurship,B次元官网网址� she says of Juno and co-founders Andrew Hall and Jeremy Bryant. B次元官网网址淚 think that the way they designed it, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 lay the burden on the person when theyB次元官网网址檙e paying for their meal. ThereB次元官网网址檚 not the pressure (to donate) like there is sometimes at the checkstand.B次元官网网址�
Boyd says diners have given nothing but positive feedback on the program and are happy the popular restaurant is involved. B次元官网网址淧eople are really excited about it, and theyB次元官网网址檙e happy that weB次元官网网址檙e happy to be a part of it.B次元官网网址�
Juno, who was back in Victoria recently to check in with their area restaurant partners, said Ottawa and Montreal are the groupB次元官网网址檚 next target markets, having broken into Calgary and Edmonton in a big way and added a number of prairie towns to the roster.
Mealshare has some heavy hitters on board for its current promotional campaign, called Road to One Million. Former DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den panellists Arlene Dickinson and Brett Wilson, hockey stars Hayley Wickenheiser and Andrew Ference and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson are among the celebrities who are using their star power on Twitter to help boost the numbers.
Having volunteered with area service providers numerous times, Juno enjoys seeing the impact a hot meal can have on someone.
B次元官网网址淭he meals are the handshake and they get people in the door. Once they get there, there are opportunities like counselling or job training. ItB次元官网网址檚 great seeing these community members progress and make big changes in their lives.B次元官网网址�
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editor@goldstreamgazette.com
