Moveable Feast (organization) facts for kids
Moveable Feast logo
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| Formation | 1990 |
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| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | "Moveable Feast provides nutritious foods and other services in order to preserve quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening conditions." |
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Official language
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English |
Moveable Feast is a special nonprofit organization in Baltimore, Maryland. It helps people who are very sick by giving them healthy food and other important services. This includes people with serious illnesses like HIV/AIDS and breast cancer, or those with other life-threatening conditions.
The idea for Moveable Feast started in 1990. A city official named Robert Mehl saw that many people needed help during a time when HIV/AIDS was spreading. He worked with the mayor of Baltimore, Kurt Schmoke, to create this organization.
When it first began, Moveable Feast had only three staff members. They helped about 60 people by delivering food twice a week. By 2001, they were helping around 550 people in the area get the nutrition they needed.
In 2003, Moveable Feast started a cooking program. This program teaches people useful kitchen skills. It helps them find jobs in the food industry. By 2004, 11 people had finished this program. The organization grew to 32 staff members and many volunteers. They delivered food to 700 people five days a week.
At first, Moveable Feast mainly helped people with AIDS. But by 2007, they expanded their services. They began helping people with breast cancer and other serious illnesses too. In 2013, they received a large grant from Bank of America. This money helped them open a new food distribution center. It allowed them to deliver food to even more people across the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Newspapers like The Washington Post, Baltimore Afro-American, and The Baltimore Sun have written about Moveable Feast. They have highlighted how important the organization is. They also praised how much volunteers help make it successful. In 2014, a company called SC&H received an award from the mayor of Baltimore. This was because they encouraged their employees to volunteer with Moveable Feast.
How Moveable Feast Started
During a time when HIV/AIDS was a big problem in the United States, Robert Mehl worked for the Baltimore City Health Department. He saw how many people in Baltimore needed help. He convinced the mayor, Kurt Schmoke, to create a group to deal with this crisis. Robert Mehl himself was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985.
A group of people, including Robert Mehl, worked together to plan the organization. They started providing services in 1989. After careful discussions, the organization officially became Moveable Feast in 1990.
Moveable Feast was set up as a nonprofit organization. This means it works to help the community, not to make money. In 1990, they signed a contract with the Baltimore City Health Department. This allowed them to bring food to people with AIDS. In its first year, Moveable Feast operated out of a church in Northwest Baltimore.
That year, the organization began delivering two meals twice a week to 60 clients. They had a small team of three people. The Baltimore health department also helped them by providing office space and phone services.
Helping More People
The number of people Moveable Feast helped quickly grew. It went from ten people to over 150. Other groups like Groceries to Go and People On the Move helped deliver meals. In 2001, Karen Brewer saw Moveable Feast on TV and wanted to help. She started a group of volunteers in her hometown of Ellicott City, Maryland. They baked desserts every month and delivered them to Moveable Feast. Karen brought together about 50 bakers from her area to help with this project.
By 2001, Moveable Feast was providing food and services to about 550 people. They helped people in Baltimore and 13 other counties. In 2003, the organization started a special program. It teaches people how to cook and prepare meals. This helps them get jobs in the food industry. The chef for this program, William J. Antonio, said that people who needed a fresh start were part of the training.
In 2004, 11 people successfully completed the cooking program. Moveable Feast also started delivering meals to people with breast cancer and other serious illnesses, not just HIV/AIDS. By 2004, Moveable Feast was helping over 700 people five days a week. They had 32 staff members and many dedicated volunteers.
Victor Basile was the executive director of Moveable Feast in 2007. Dietitians, who are experts in food and nutrition, make sure the meals are healthy for everyone. Victor Basile explained that the people they help are often very sick and don't have jobs. He said, "All of our services are free."
By 2007, Moveable Feast was helping people with many different serious conditions, including those with a terminal illness. In 2009, a performance event at the University of Baltimore called Gay Expectations Too raised money for the organization. By 2010, Moveable Feast had expanded its services. They now helped people across the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland. A volunteer named Jeffery Zinn, who worked in the organization's kitchen in 2011, said it was his favorite thing to do outside of work.
In 2013, Moveable Feast received a large grant of $200,000 from Bank of America. This money helped them create a new distribution center on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This made it easier to deliver food to clients in that area. The grant also helped them buy new kitchen equipment and train their staff.
See also
- Baltimore Community Foundation
- Pride Center of Maryland
- Save a Heart Foundation, Baltimore
