My Story

When I was 13 years old, I started volunteering at a local food pantry called Soup Angles. Their mission is "to offer hot, nutritious, freshly prepared meals in a dignified and caring environment to anyone in need of a meal in our community." 

 

Volunteers at Soup Angles prepare meals and serve those meals to the people who visit their food pantry. The dining room is clean with white tablecloths, glass plates, and real silverware. It is truly a great place.

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At the end of each meal service, the volunteers open the "exit table." The exit table has lots of packaged food, fruit, and other items. Visitors can take these items to-go in brown paper bags when leaving. The exit table gets very crowded and is my favorite station to volunteer at. The people are so grateful to leave with food, often for their children or breakfast the next morning.

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It did not take me long during my time working at Soup Angles to start thinking about how I could help communities like mine, especially the ones that don't have a soup kitchen. It was then that I came up with Dando.

 

Dando is an Italian word that means "to give." The Dando Project is simple; we set up small food pantry boxes (Dando Boxes) in local towns that deal with food insecurity. The Dando project relies on the community to support one another. People who can supply simple packaged foods will drop them off in the Dando Box, and people in need can take the food they need from the Dando Box.

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The Dando Project is a work in progress, and we hope you support us along the way. 

Leo Mayer