For myself whose proximity to the Rice Village and the Texas Medical Center is now and has been for decades, literally, within walking distance, both are near and dear to my heart and as I sit here this moment writing, I am hearing ambulances which have been buzzing out my window for weeks now as a sobering fact for what is going on in our world! For these reasons, it is particularly important for me to call out what our Rice Village is doing to assist these many Medical Center frontline workers and to do their part to brighten workers day with nutritional reinforcements.
The Rice Village District has announced it will launch FARE FOR CARE, a meal donation campaign that started last week and expected to run at least 14 days, that will provide nourishing meals from Rice Village Restaurants to Emergency and Critical Care medical teams battling COVID-19 at TMC. With $50,000 seed money donated by Rice Management Company, owner of the iconic 1938 shopping district popularly known as The Village, the plan is for the Rice Village to donate the first 5,000 meals and match community donations for at least another 5,000 with hopes of potentially serving up to 15,000 donations. It should be noted that this is their initial plan and will definitely look into expanding more Rice Village restaurants for a greater demand if that should happen!
The FARE for CARE campaign will launch with homegrown talent at buzzed-about Politan Row – the carefully curated, chef-driven food hall that made its critically acclaimed debut less than six months ago, before temporarily shuttering to comply with COVID-related restrictions on dine-in guests at Houston area restaurants. Additional Rice Village restaurants – including three of its newest must-try additions to the Village dining spots,Mendocino Farms, Sixty Vines, and Sweetgreen – are also answering the call, and with community support, the compassionate program can be expanded in duration and scope.
“Given the robust culinary offerings at Rice Village and our close proximity the Texas Medical Center, we created FARE for CARE as a way to give back to the heroic healthcare workers who are risking their own lives to save others while simultaneously supporting our restaurant partners as they face a challenging time,” said Rice Management Company Investment Manager Cecilia “Ceci” Arreola. She added, “And it gives our neighbors a tangible way to show love and support for the brave women and men on the medical frontlines.”
In the spirit of It takes a village, Rice Village is inviting neighbors to join the campaign by donating meals with a click of a button at http://rice-village.com/fare-to-care with 100% of donations being used directly by restaurants for ingredients and meal production. Neither Rice Management Company nor Rice Village will receive any profits from the operation and implementation of the FARE for CARE program.
So to all my fellow residents in my dual Texas Medical Center/Rice Village ‘hood, and to many beyond who all benefit from this medical mainstay in our city, it’s our time to give back. CHI St. Luke’s Health, Houston Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann will all benefit from this!
Thank you and please #Stay Safe #Stay Healthy #Stay Home as get through this!!!