TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) — Anonymous donations continue to pour in to help people in the Tallahassee area get a free meal.
Local businesses and individuals, who will remain anonymous, decided to donate money to buy vouchers to local restaurants. The organizers of the meal voucher initiative explained the goal is to help as many people as possible during these uncertain times.
Katie Rae, one of the volunteers said, "Our goal is to feed a household not just an individual. So, if you are a family of five, please let us know that you need five vouchers."
Anyone who needs a meal can reach out to the group at no cost. "Anyone can reach out to us that's been unemployed or underemployed," explained Rae. "We have an email set up specifically for this. So, you can email us at BenefitTallyLocals20@gmail.com."
Once you send an email with the amount of vouchers you need, you will be placed on a list that will be given to restaurants. "It's not a physical voucher. So, we will email you and it will have a copy of the three restaurants that are participating."
The three restaurants a part of this initiative are Bella Bella, Canopy Road Cafe, and Madison Social. Amy Schwartz, the owner of Bella Bella said, "We're just excited that local businesses are helping local restaurants like ourselves, and helping people that are here locally, to serve food and just get meals to people that are affected by this virus."
Once you receive the voucher in your email, you will then call whichever restaurant you would like to order from. "You say, 'Hey my name is this, I have two vouchers, I'd like to order this'."
Schwartz added, "All they're going to do is call and we're able to serve some of our delicious meals to people that are affected."
You can also request a voucher for someone who may not want to ask for help. If that is the case, you can send a request on their behalf. "You can email us and let us know, and we'll put it under your email," explained Rae. "And just include their first name, and that way they can get it without having to reach out to us directly."
Lastly, if you want to lend a helping hand, the meal voucher initiative is accepting anonymous donations. You can ask to make a donation to the same email address. "It comes in and it gets recorded," said Rae. "No one's name gets published. All of these donors are here to support the locals."
The initiative isn't just about food either. Volunteers are also offering vouchers to Wash Around the Clock, a 24 hour laundry service. Rae explained anyone can ask for a laundry voucher and a meal voucher in the same email request.
