Fundraiser for Free Food Pantry – Brookland NE

“Foster pup, Bullet, helping stock the Free Food Pantry at Bluebird Sky Yoga Studio in Brookland NE.”

Thanks to Ashley for passing on this GoFundMe:

“My goal is to keep the Free Food Pantry stocked for one full year.

Hello! My name is Tri and when the pandemic forced my small business Hot Pink Photo Booth to temporary close, I decided to use my time and resources to try and help my local community!

It all started with a coat drive. My goal was to help ONE person who needed a coat, get a coat and stay a little warmer this winter.

You can read more about my coat drive here.

After running 3 successful coat drives, I was thinking of other ways how I could help my community. I am in a few different Facebook Groups, and I was constantly seeing residents post about needing help with a meal for their kids or groceries for their family. Then it clicked for me! Food is one of the basic human needs, and during these hard times, so many Americans are struggling to pay rent, keep the utilities on, and to put FOOD on the table.

This Free Food Pantry is a judgement free space that is open 24/7.

Located outside Bluebird Sky Yoga (3101 12th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017), it is a place where people in the community “take what they need and leave what they can”

My plan is to make trips to local stores such as Costco to purchase staple food items in bulk.

Plan:
Make trips to Costco to purchase staple food items once or twice a week.
Budget is $500 per week.
$500/week x 52 weeks = $26,000
(before GoFundMe fees of 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation)

Reasons for GoFundMe + Costco vs. Amazon Wish List:
1) I can purchase items in bulk and find a better price than getting items from Amazon.
2) There are no shipping fees. Just my time and energy in making weekly Costco trips.
3) Less waste – shipments from Amazon produces lots of cardboard and packing material waste.
4) Storage – I am slowly running out of storage space for the overflow pantry items. If I make weekly trips to Costco, I can manage our inventory much better.

I will post every single receipt as updates on this GoFundMe from Costco for full transparency.

I understand that some people feel better about sending items on Amazon vs. donating to a GoFundMe. If you would like to continue donating via Amazon, here is the link to my wish list.

I also accepting donations of non-perishable food items. Please place canned items directly on shelf. Everything else can be placed in plastic bins to deter rodents.

If you would like to contribute but do not live near the pantry, you can purchase an item on my amazon wish list or donate to this GoFundMe.

Join in on the FUN and help me fill up the pantry!

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED
LEAVE WHAT YOU CAN

Together, we can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

With Kindness,
Tri”