A NATIONAL fundraising effort set up almost three weeks ago to raise money to provide Ireland’s critical frontline workers with nutritious has raised more than €700,000 and served more than 25,000 meals across the nation.
Feed The Heroes partners with food service providers to prepare and deliver the meals, and co-ordinates with the frontline teams to ensure they get to where they are needed.
So far meals have been delivered to staff at the Covid-19 Testing Centres, HSE Contact Tracing, the National Ambulance Service and the Fire Brigade as well as hospital workers.
Feed The Heroes has had an impact on Ireland’s people, having seen more than 12,000 donations helping provide much-needed food for frontline healthcare workers.
The meals, as well as providing much needed food, are also a simple way of showing solidarity and gratitude to Ireland’s critical frontline workers who are working long shifts in very challenging circumstances as they combat Ireland’s biggest ever public health emergency.
Feed The Heroes fund founder, Cian O’Flaherty said the group has been “blown away by the response of the Irish people”.
Earlier this week he said, “They have transformed what began as an ambition to raise €1,000 to buy a few meals into a national operation that to date has delivered more than 18,500 meals to critical frontline workers nationwide.”
There is now a team of twenty volunteers and an advisory board leading and co-ordinating the Feed The Heroes effort with the intention of sustaining the meal delivery throughout the Covid-19 emergency.
Each meal costs approximately €7 to prepare and deliver, the more funds that are raised allows Feed The Heroes to deliver even more meals to Ireland’s critical frontline heroes. Individuals wanting to make a donation can contribute on the Feed The Heroes go fund me page through the website www.feedtheheroes.com.
Corporate donations can be made by contacting corporatedonations@feedtheheroes.com .
More than 12,000 individual donations have been seen to date with contributions coming from “a 7-year-old donating €5 of their pocket money to a €20,000 donation from Republic of Ireland international and Everton football player, Seamus Coleman”.
“Every single euro makes a difference and we take the responsibility entrusted to us by all our donors very seriously,” said O’Flaherty, adding, “We now have 20 volunteers co-ordinating our efforts along with an advisory board to ensure we are operating to the highest corporate governance principles.
“Our mission is simple, to get food to Ireland’s critical frontline workers and our intention now is to continue to grow the Fund to enable us to support Ireland’s frontline heroes for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency.
“The meals are greatly appreciated by those who receive them not just for the food itself but also for what it represents – a symbol of our solidarity with and gratitude to those combating Ireland’s biggest ever public health emergency.”
