Helping Haiti Through Our Hearts and Stomachs

January 27, 2010 6:12 pm

Helping Haiti Through Our Hearts and Stomachs

If you're like me, you're most likely struck by the catastrophe in Haiti, and what better way to further help than with philanthropic eating? Here's a list of unique ways you can help and how our culinary friends are contributing to the cause, one bite at a time.

1. Balance

A premium water that combines pure H20 with the essence of Australian wildflowers, Balance bottled waters aid in de-stressing and stabilization of drinkers everywhere. In light of current events, Balance donated 26,000 bottles of water through Feed the Children to help Haitians quench their thirst and re-coop from a serious natural disaster.

2. Magnolia

The bakery with the cakery announced that they will be selling a Red Cross cupcake made with vanilla buttercream frosting and vanilla cake. The cupcakes are available in the months of January and February and Magnolia will be donating $1 from each $3 cupcake to the Red Cross in Haiti. The locations are below:

401 Bleecker Street, 212.462.2572
200 Columbus Avenue (at 69th Street), 212.724.8101
1240 Avenue of the Americas (at 49th Street), 212.767.1123

How can you say no to a great cause and a delicious cupcake all in one go?

3. Hollyberry Baking Co. in partnership with the St. Patrick Center in St. Louis, Missouri

The initiative, Helping Hearts, is a collaboration between Hollyberry Baking Co. and the St. Patrick Center. Heart-shaped cookies are baked in St. Louis by Hollyberry Bakery trained homeless clients of St. Patrick's and sold all over the St. Louis area in 200 cookie increments at $1 a cookie. Buyers, usually churches, schools and businesses, are encouraged to sell the cookies at bake sales and other events for a minimum of $1 each so that even more money can be sent to Haiti through the CRUDEM Foundation.

Find out more about how you can help on their Facebook Page.

4. Food Bloggers Unite for Blog Away Hunger

Created by Marc Matsumoto of the food blog No Recipes, food bloggers all over the world are teaming up to fight hunger in Haiti by donating their January ad revenue to The World Food Program. Non-bloggers can also help by clicking through the blogs and even going back to older entries to ring up the hits. The Blog Away Hunger site, linked above, offers many other ways to help.

5. Boqueria Restaurants

These Cataluña inspired tapas restaurants raised $5,993 dollars for Doctors Without Borders. Why such an odd number? Well, that particular amount is just what's needed to purchase an emergency medical kit to meet the basic needs of 1000 people struck by disaster for about 15 days. Boqueria staff contributed $2000 from their own pockets and are still encouraging their patrons to donate as well. You can donate at both restaurants, Boqueria Flatiron at 53 West 19th Street or Boqueria Soho at 171 Spring Street, by adding the amount of your choice to their check. Said amount will then be added to the funds going to the World Food Program.

If you can't wait for your next trip out to dinner, or for a trip to the bakery, you can donate asap at Help Haiti Now. Save some money for your usual trip out to the bar and send it to someone who really needs it!