“This generous donation from the Robert I. Schattner Foundation will help us significantly expand Feed the Fridge so we can serve far more people in need, particularly in Montgomery County,” said Mark Bucher, co-owner of Medium Rare Restaurant Group and founder of Feed the Fridge/We Care, Inc.
WASHINGTON (PRWEB) March 30, 2021
Feed the Fridge just got a huge vote of confidence from the Robert I. Schattner Foundation, in the form of a $100,000 donation to We Care, Inc., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization behind the Feed the Fridge initiative. The Foundation will match donations for Feed the Fridge, which so far has 20 community refrigerators around the D.C. area stocked with free meals for food-insecure residents.
Based in Rockville, Maryland, the Robert I. Schattner Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 1992 by Dr. Robert I. Schattner, the inventor of Chloraseptic and Sporicidin. The foundation supports outreach that nurtures both the physical and emotional needs of people in Montgomery County and the D.C. region for the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter for adults and children, as well as selected nationwide healthcare initiatives.
"Feed the Fridge offers much-needed access to address the food insecurities that have surfaced throughout Metropolitan Washington, D.C. due to Covid. The program allows individuals to obtain meals anonymously, which we feel is important to maintain one's dignity. RIS is proud to support this local initiative,” said Sidney Bresler the President and Chairman of The Robert I. Schattner Foundation.
The foundation’s grant is crucial to Feed the Fridge’s expansion into Montgomery County, Maryland. Food insecurity is a huge problem in this region, which has been made even worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This generous donation from the Robert I. Schattner Foundation will help us significantly expand Feed the Fridge so we can serve far more people in need, particularly in Montgomery County,” said Mark Bucher, co-owner of Medium Rare Restaurant Group and founder of Feed the Fridge/We Care, Inc.
Feed the Fridge places refrigerators at recreation centers and schools in D.C. and Montgomery County, and then pays local area restaurants to stock them daily with delicious and nutritious meals. “Anyone can come up and grab meals, no questions asked,” says Bucher. Feed the Fridge so far has five refrigerators in Montgomery County and 15 in the District of Columbia.
“We truly appreciate the foundation’s financial support, but also its recognition that we’re both efficient and effective in helping hungry people in our communities while helping the local economy,” Bucher added. “Feed the Fridge is proof of concept that restaurants can play a vital role in reducing food insecurity, while also keeping their employees working and their doors open for business during the pandemic. It’s a win-win-win.”
Bucher’s Medium Rare restaurant — one of the participating restaurants in Feed the Fridge meal preparation and distribution — was strictly a steak-and-frites restaurant, with three dine-in locations, when COVID-19 hit. Bucher realized philanthropy could provide an innovative solution both for people in need and for restaurants struggling to survive the pandemic shutdown.
Medium Rare began providing free meals to those who need them even before Bucher came up with the idea for Feed the Fridge. Now, in addition to Feed the Fridge, it’s estimated that Medium Rare has provided about 30,000 free meals in the last year to those battling food insecurity.
“When the pandemic hit, I quickly found that those in my local community who were already vulnerable before — kids who relied on getting their only meal during school lunch and seniors who suffer quietly before reaching out to family/friends with requests for food or basic necessities — were now in a really dangerous situation,” recalled Bucher. “I’m elated and very grateful that the Robert I. Schattner Foundation has provided us with this much-needed support.”
About We Care, Inc.
We Care, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization helping to fund “Feed the Fridge,” which provides daily meals to school children in and around Washington, D.C.
About Robert I. Schattner Foundation
The Robert I. Schattner Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 1992 by Dr. Robert I. Schattner. Dr. Schattner, the inventor of Chloraseptic and Sporicidin, used his success with these products to fund this foundation and for it to be able to accomplish its charitable purposes.