MIAMI – During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Lauren and Ken Mason identified by themselves out of do the job and with an overstock of foodstuff.
Viewing the community’s urgent will need for food stuff, they turned their Kendall dwelling into a headquarters.
CBS Miami very first introduced you to them in November final yr when they were being settling into the schedule of providing prepared-to-try to eat foods to local community fridges.
Given that then, it has develop into a passionate dedication that carries on to evolve.
Lauren stated it is fulfilling and quite surprising.
“We look back and it’s been everyday living-shifting really since you know we never anticipated to do so considerably in a yr,” claimed Lauren.
Combing Lauren’s intuition to aid other people and Ken’s talent as a professional chef turned into a recipe for reduction.
She recalled at the time in 2021, it came about organically.
“It sort of snowballed, we started off obtaining contacted from distinct corporations and churches saying they were just giving to enable and everyone inquiring ‘do you want this? do you have that?'”
A 12 months afterwards their nonprofit “Be the Alter South Florida” is underneath transformation.
“Now we are cooking out of a commercial kitchen. Our church is very generous. In the night or on weekends, we are welcome to go cook dinner there. We have a rental house at a church now so we designed our possess minimal community pantry where men and women can appear and pick up foods donations and go them to the other fridges with our associate corporations.”
The components has labored: they get donations and rescue foods from retailers and dining establishments and rely on kind helpers for food prep, and deliveries, and serve the food stuff to unsheltered people today.
Lauren said they proceed to see the have to have and are ready to help men and women who may perhaps be out of work, shed their housing, and having difficulties with the most primary have to have as expenses of meals have risen.
“It’s heartbreaking hearing all these tales all these people today are seeking to make it and they just won’t be able to for the reason that factors are so unaffordable in this article.”
They have a huge getaway occasion coming up on December 18 the place they prepare to feed hundreds in downtown Miami, with help from other businesses.
For far more facts, you can check out their website or look at out their Instagram website page here.
