My name is Ezra Lee. I’m in 7th grade at the Park School in Brookline, and I’m going to have my B’nei Mitzvah in September. Early on during the pandemic, I learned about restaurants that were struggling, many offering big discounts to get business.  It was hard to hear about people who were struggling through no fault of their own. At the same time, I learned that some homeless shelters had to close because the college students who had run them had to go back to their families. Homeless people always have a hard time, and the pandemic makes it harder for them. If you don’t have enough food, it’s all you can think about.

My idea is to support both groups by buying food from restaurants that are not getting enough business and donating it to homeless shelters. I found Heading Home, whose website explains they are a leading provider in Boston of emergency shelter, transitional, and permanent housing for low-income families and individuals. I spoke with leaders there and shared my idea. They told me more about the organization and the people they help and discussed what kind of food we could provide.

In the coming weeks, I plan to provide 20 meals for adults living in a shelter in Cambridge, the town where I live.  After that, I want to raise money to scale my idea and maybe even branch out past one restaurant to help feed more people over a bigger area. One hundred percent of the money will be used to buy food from the restaurant(s) for people in homeless shelters and transitional housing provided by Heading Home.

People need help and I want to make a difference.  I would be interested in hearing from you if you would like to help, too.