KALAMAZOO, Mich. — With the second wave of COVID-19, 'Feed the Fight - Kalamazoo' is back in action.
They're providing free meals to front line workers while also supporting locally-owned restaurants.
'Feed the Fight - Kalamazoo' started back in mid-April, and since then they've raised over $60,000 to distribute free meals to front line workers.
A co-founder for the organization said she wants them to understand how appreciative the community is for their efforts.
"We really exist to support our front line healthcare workers during this COVID crisis," said Jodi Hope Michaels, a co-founder of 'Feed the Fight - Kalamazoo' and the Executive Director of Colleagues International.
The Kalamazoo organization started up when the first wave of COVID-19 hit earlier this year.
Michaels said the non-profit runs entirely off community donations, and to date, they've raised a total of $60,000.
"We have served somewhere in the neighborhood of over 6000 meals and well over 100 deliveries thus far," said Michaels.
That money is also helping 81 local restaurants who may be struggling during this time.
The owner of Huey D's Goodies out of Kalamazoo's First Baptist Church was one of the first businesses to sign up to help.
"They’re still going to work. They are still putting their lives on the line. I felt like it was an opportunity to step up and help out and be apart of something special," said the owner of Huey D's Goodies Demargeo White.
The organization is volunteer-run as well, with more than 70 volunteers to help deliver meals.
Laura Cross has been volunteering for around five months, and said it's her way of showing appreciation.
"I thought it was an excellent cause. It is just a really cool concept to help struggling businesses who may not be getting a ton of dine-in experience right now. It’s nice to give them the opportunity to make some money and give it to people who really need it and to people who may feel like they are under appreciated," said a volunteer with 'Feed the Fight - Kalamazoo', Laura Cross.
"There is so much that people are doing to support each other during this tough time, and we just love that we are able to be a small part of that," said Michaels.
'Feed the Fight - Kalamazoo' said they're planning on ramping up their services after Thanksgiving. If you'd like to donate, click here.
If you're a restaurant who would like to sign-up to provide food for front line workers, click here.
