Since it began earlier this year, the nonprofit Be Kind RVA has served more than 1,700 hot meals to groups at The Healing Place, Richmond Urban Ministry Institute, Safe Haven, Hispanic Center of Chesterfield, Caritas and Blessing Warriors, and to homeless individuals in and around Richmond. The goal of Be Kind RVA is to bridge the hunger gap in the Richmond area by partnering with local restaurants and bringing the community together to serve a bigger purpose.

“Partnering with local restaurants will not only allow us to provide numerous meals to those in a time of need, but also connect the hospitality industry with the nonprofit world. Bringing these two industries together will bring powerful change to the Richmond Metro area,” says Luke Stackow, founder of Be Kind RVA and general manager at Bistro 804. “Richmond kitchens will be coming together like never before to help get meals to those most in need. It is the goal of Be Kind RVA to have meals going out every day.”

In Virginia, there are more than 842,870 people that face food insecurity; 233,530 of those are children. To put that in perspective, that is one in 10 adults or one in eight children. Stackow’s biggest priorities for Be Kind RVA are getting more volunteers, increasing donations and encouraging purchases from the organization’s growing Amazon wish list.

For more information, visit BeKindRVA.com.