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
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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How A Stay At Switzerland's Luxurious 7132 Hotel Reminded Me To Live The Life I Deserve
Sometimes, as women—especially as single Black women—we simply need to be reminded that we are deserving of living a life we dream of. Even if that means creating it for ourselves. I recently set out on a weeklong trip to Switzerland, a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years, and near the end of my visit, I had an epiphany.
“DeAnna, this is the life you deserve,” I thought to myself as I took in the gorgeous bathroom in my suite at the famous 7132 Hotel and Thermal Spa. It was one of the most luxurious hotels (and bathrooms) I had ever stayed in—and that’s saying a lot for someone who often travels for work.
To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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