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This Woman Is Using Tech To Help Families In Need Get Food During Quarantine
We've all heard mamas, daddies, grandmamas, or granddaddys repeat time and time again, "We don't waste food in this house!" or "Do you know how many starving kids would want that food you're throwing away?" And it turns out, they have good reason for the nagging concern. Food waste in the U.S. makes up an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the food supply, accounting for 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food, according to research. On the flip side, about 12 percent of American families are going hungry, and a disproportionate number are minorities. COVID-19 has made the situation much worse, with experts predicting a "hunger pandemic".
Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO of Goodr, is one entrepreneur who is taking matters into her own hands to combat the hunger issue in her community. "You don't have to be a nonprofit to serve. I started a company with the goal of doing good, and it's really been working for me," Crowe said. "You can do well, as far as providing jobs for the community [and creating] financial stability for yourself, by doing good."
Image via Instagram/goodrco
At the core of Goodr's services is the notion that the problem is not in food scarcity but in logistics. Rerouting extra food for those in need is essential. Her company's technology helps businesses track and put their surplus food to good use---providing a solution that not only opens businesses up to potential tax breaks but helps to reduce greenhouse emission from landfills and offer families perfectly edible and nutritious food options. She and her team are now laser-focused on helping families in Atlanta, where the company is headquartered, who lack access or money for food and groceries.
"When everything began happening with COVID 19, I understood that there was going to be a lot of people in need and they were going to need food," Crowe explained. "From there, I decided to launch what we're doing right now, and it's really taken off. I think it's because so many people are in need of food and it's something I suspected from the beginning."
Qualifying families have been able to get food via pop-up grocery stores as well as through nonprofit partnership participation with Goodr. "We source from [retailers including] Walmart and Costco and work with some of the large food producing companies," Crowe said. "It's basically like an UberEats or Instacart, [but] free."
Image via Instagram/Goodrco
Those who want to support can also donate funds to sponsor families. Crowe said $100 typically covers a family of 4 to 5. "That gives them about 30 meals [and covers] the grocery shopping, groceries, packaging, and delivery," she added. People can also support by donating any sum of money toward sponsoring a family or by spreading the word. The company also has plans to expand to cities like New Orleans and Los Angeles, Crowe added. "Goodr operates in 10 markets, but for our COVID-related relief, because we're headquartered in Atlanta, a lot of our work has been currently concentrated here."
Crowe's passion for feeding communities was sparked from a personal passion in her own kitchen. While working in social impact and nonprofit consulting, she used her spare time to provide meals for the hungry.
"I started Goodr after I was feeding people who were experiencing hunger and homelessness from my kitchen for about three-and-a-half years," Crowe said. "I was price-matching, couponing, picking up all the food, and cooking it for hours. It made me think, 'It would be good if people donated the food.' That's when I started researching what happens to food at the end of the night [at businesses]. I began to stumble across [the concept of] food waste and became upset that so much food goes to waste while so many people are going hungry. That's the thing that got me started in this business."
She worked with developers to create a digital platform where businesses can register, import their menus or food items, and work with Goodr to redirect where their surplus goods go. "Our platform calculates the value of the items that are being donated as well as the donated tax deduction value, and then we have drivers pick it up and deliver it directly to nonprofits. That's [why] hunger is not just an issue of scarcity. It's about getting it to people instead of landfills."
Image via Instagram/Goodrco
A misconception might be that food waste is just that: trash or waste. However, many restaurants and businesses have perfectly fine goods that simply did not sell that day or week, and the food is discarded. "It's just excess food. This isn't food that's bad or expired," Crowe said.
"It's important that businesses donate their surplus food because they're already paying to throw the food away anyway. They have a waste management bill, so it's not like this food is just cheaper to throw away than to donate. Businesses must understand the impact they're making in the community but also the impact they're making on the environment by not donating the food."
Filling a need during a crisis is a vital way businesses can not only stay afloat but be of service to the very communities that have kept them in business in the first place. Goodr has found a way to combine social good with innovating enterprise. "We come in and help businesses redirect food to people in need. We're trying to lead the way in making sure we're getting food to people. We just think it's so important."
For more information how you or your business can help, visit Goodr's Website or follow them on Instagram @goodrco.
Featured image courtesy of Jasmine Crowe
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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