Two Moms from the Whitby School in Greenwich recognized a great need in their local community brought on by Covid19 and immediately decided to take action to help provide meals for those in need as well as restaurant assistance for those in need, and recently partnered with local Port Chester non-profit, Caritas.
Both Moms, Aya DeSimone and Quentin Ball, are long time Greenwich residents and also immigrants from Australia so they felt like they needed to step up and help. “We saw Port Chester as the local community hardest hit by the coronavirus,” says Quentin Ball. “We wanted to create an initiative that could simultaneously help those who need food, help restaurants that are hurting, and a most importantly help the immigrant population in our local community. So we decided to partner with Caritas to meet these needs.
The two women launched a GoFundMe campaign, and in just two weeks have raised over $4,000 online and off-line for Caritas. “It started off with us sending a quick email to family and friends,” said Quentin Ball, “and soon the donations were coming in. So we posted it on social media, called some people, and continue to ask for support.”
Quentin and Aya were inspired by the philanthropy they see in action at their kids school, Whitby School, who has done fundraisers for Dorothy Day, Inspirica, Neighbor to Neighbor, and others this year. To help in a small way, they teamed up with Caritas in Port Chester to raise funds for their local food pantry and meal prep. “We loved the Two-For-One concept”, said Aya DeSimone. “One donation helps twice, supporting a local non-profit, local businesses, and feeding those who are struggling during this unprecedented and challenging time.”
They hope to reach a goal of $5,000 with their fundraiser. Caritas’ mission is to provide locals with more than a hot meal; it’s about neighbors helping neighbors, getting to know each other, becoming friends, being a sharing community. Their mission is to provide food, clothing, counseling and educational services for anyone in need in Port Chester, NY and the surrounding area. Learn more about Caritas at caritaspc.org
If anyone is interested in making a contribution, please go to Donate Here gofundme.com/f/aqprz-meals-for-those-in-need
