(Updated April 10, 2020) | Maggie Baird—mom to vegan Grammy Award-winning singer Billie Eilish and her music producer brother Finneas Baird—is helping supply plant-based food to hospitals, shelters, and first responders across Los Angeles and New York City.
Together with a number of organizations—including Conscious Cleanup and Eat Drink Vegan—Baird has created Support and Feed. The idea behind the initiative is that citizens can simultaneously support vegan businesses during the coronavirus pandemic as well as key workers on the front lines.
There are currently more than 8,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Los Angeles County and 241 people have died. In New York City, there are more than 87,000 confirmed cases, including more than 5,100 deaths.
Under lockdown measures, restaurants are not permitted to serve food, unless it is through takeaway services.
To support struggling eateries, customers can choose from a list of vegan restaurants. The list includes By Chloe, Crossroads Kitchen, Pura Vita, and Donut Friend. Then, they place an order online or over the phone, clearly stating that they would like to do so under the Support and Feed initiative.
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Support and Vegan Food
Over the coming week, each of the restaurants will build up orders. Conscious Cleanup will step in to coordinate collection and delivery to each of the donation centers.
Eight major Los Angeles hospitals are included in the initiative. Three food shelters, five housing and women’s shelters, two senior centers, and two police departments are also included. Support and Feed are working to add more organizations and groups in need.
“Please help,” wrote Baird in an Instagram post. “You can order from any of these incredible plant-based restaurants. The food will be delivered to a needy organization in a safe, coordinated way when it works for them. With enough time for the restaurant to plan and prepare.” She added, “you can also add it to a personal order if you want food yourself!”
Earlier this month, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, along with animal rights nonprofit Mercy for Animals and hunger-relief charity Community Solidarity, helped donate vegan meals to local families, police officers, firefighters, and hospital workers.
“So grateful for Mercy for Animals, Community Solidarity, and BP Eric Adams. Thanks to them we get to live another day. Be strong y’all and support those who support you,” wrote Urban Vegan Kitchen, one of the restaurants that donated meals, on Instagram.
One Californian committed to staying at home and eating vegan food throughout the coronavirus outbreak is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He recently posted a video to Instagram of himself feeding carrots to his miniature pony Whisky and donkey Lulu. He says, “I just had my little bit of vegan food.”
“This is what we do,” he adds. “We don’t go out, we don’t go to the restaurants, we don’t do anything like that. We just eat with Whisky and Lulu and have a good time and be entertained and we have a good time eating here together.”
