Mealshare - A new and innovative NPO coming to Vancouver

Dec 19 2017, 4:12 pm

Residents of Vancouver can dine at restaurants and provide a meal to someone in need at the same time through a new marketing initiative by a local, registered non-profit organization.

The organization is called Mealshare, and it’s just been created by two cousins – Andrew Hall and Jeremy Bryant. Andrew is a former resident of Vancouver returning this fall, and is excited to start helping people in Vancouver in a creative and fun way.

mealshare

Here’s how it works. Participating restaurants label a meal on the menu with the Mealshare logo. When diners purchase that meal, the restaurant owner donates a portion of the proceeds to Mealshare, which in turn donates sufficient funds for one meal to be provided by their charitable partners. Buy one, give one!

mealshare-icon

In Vancouver, the local charity Mealshare works with is Mission Possible, and they also provide meals through Children’s Hunger Fund, which provides meals to needy children in developing countries.

The non-profit launches in Vancouver on August 29 at Aphrodite’s Organic Café & Pie Shop, Darby’s Pub, and Gurkha’s Himalayan Kitchen. Three other Vancouver restaurants are currently discussing joining the program and the Mealshare team will be looking to bring more restaurants on in the upcoming months. Each partnered restaurant has selected different menu items and labeled them with the Mealshare icon to signify to customers that the items will not only provide restaurant goers with a delicious meal, but will also provide a meal for someone in need.

“Our mission at Mealshare is to provide as many meals possible to those in need in a sustainable fashion,” says Bryant. “Beyond providing meals to people in need, it’s a great service to partner restaurants. We really focus on our restaurant partners and delivery quite a lot of value to them through promotional initiatives. The program also highlights that they are involved in the community and socially aligned. Thus, we think Vancouverites will want to support Mealshare restaurants with their business.”

Bryant emphasizes that more than half of the money Mealshare receives from restaurants goes directly to the charities. The rest goes to Mealshare for its business operations with the aim of providing exposure for its partner restaurants. Bryant hopes the concept will catch on with more restaurants. “We would love for every restaurant in Vancouver participate in Mealshare. We think it would be great if one day, every time a meal was ordered in Vancouver, it went to provide a meal for someone in need too.”

Mealshare is hoping to connect with people more over social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. “We want to prove to restaurants that people in Vancouver care about helping those in need. One way we can prove that is by having individuals visibly support the cause through Facebook and Twitter. It will be a huge help in getting more restaurants on board and providing more meals to those in need”. Find Mealshare on Facebook and Twitter (@MealshareTeam).

“We see Mealshare as an easy way for people to help others in need just by doing something they are already doing. Eating out! We hope to make it easier for people in Vancouver to share with those in need, and if we can do that, then at the end of the day, we’re really happy.”

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

+ News
ADVERTISEMENT