Marcus Lemonis, known for his CNBC TV show, “The Profit”, as well as being the chairman of Camping World, said he wants to challenge Americans to give back to their local restaurants and help those who are food insecure during this holiday season and the continued COVID-19 pandemic. Lemonis is kickstarting the “Plating Change” program through his recently formed Lemon-Aid Foundation with a $1 million donation and a newly formed partnership with Grubhub.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Grubhub and my friends who answered my call for help to create immediate and positive change,” said Lemonis. “There is a passion, amongst all of us, to ensure that small businesses feel supported and that people in need have a meal. We’re creating a movement where we’re giving everyone the opportunity to ‘bet on humanity.’”
The “Plating Change” program will work with Grubhub to give back to World Central Kitchen, supporting its Restaurants for the People program, not only helping independent restaurants by purchasing meals and driving direct revenue, but also employees of the business itself and the entire food ecosystem – all while also providing meals for communities in need. A $500,000 donation through Lemonis’ The Lemon-Aid Foundation will jumpstart the program and help World Central Kitchen and Grubhub take immediate action in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia, bringing food to those who need it most.
Over the next couple months, Lemonis will donate the remaining $500K to additional charitable organizations that fight food insecurity as well as local restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lemonis will be connecting with some notable friends, including Kristen Bell, Alex Rodriguez, Pharrell Williams, and NFL Hall-of-Famers Andre Reed and Terrell Davis, among others, surprise some of their favorite local restaurants across the country with a large “special order” which will help their local eatery earn sales. Each eatery will in turn pay it forward by donating the order to people who are facing food insecurity.
As part of the “Plating Change” program, Grubhub is giving consumers the opportunity to get involved and give back. Starting today through Dec. 31, consumers can take part while ordering in by opting-in to Grubhub’s Donate the Change, rounding up their order total and donating the difference to World Central Kitchen. Grubhub will be also donating an additional $100K to World Central Kitchen through their Sound Bites concert series and for members of the Grubhub+ membership program, Grubhub will also match all eligible Donate the Change donations. Additionally, by going to wck.org/platingchange, people across the country can donate to World Central Kitchen in support of the program, whether it’s a single meal (value of $10) or more.
“This year has been a struggle for so many people and businesses around the country, and we know winter will bring a new set of challenges,” said Seth Priebatsch, chief revenue officer at Grubhub. “We’re so appreciative of Marcus’ partnership and contribution to World Central Kitchen to provide meals to those who need them most while also supporting the restaurants we all know and love.”