At the risk of sounding like a broken record, restaurants have had a tough go of it the past few years.Food insecurityhas been around for much longer, and while Chattanooga has no shortage of incredible organizations already working on this issue, a new one is approaching it at a different angle.

Enter: Chattanooga’s newest local nonprofit FABRIC, organized + supported by small business ally Capacity. The nonprofit is working to address food insecurity in Chattanooga while supporting locally-owned restaurants through its new model.

The model

People donate via FABRIC’s website, and that money goes directly to a local restaurant like Proof Bar & Incubator, which is already a partner of the new nonprofit.
Your donation will buy one or several meals at full price, just like paying for a meal at the restaurant you’re at.
The difference? Rather than taking the meal home or sitting down at a table to eat, the meal(s) you buy will be directed toward people or organizations in need.
Several other local orgs have already pledged to match donations dollar for dollar.
You can donate to a specific restaurant or to all food partners + choose to make a recurring or one-time donation.

Where are the meals going?

The meals won’t necessarily be going to one specific place — instead, FABRIC has partnered with local organizations like United Way + Unlearn Everything and Live to ensure that these meals go where they’re needed.

The big picture

Through one donation from someone in Chattanooga (or anywhere, really), there’s a lot of local love + support happening:

Local restaurants | Restaurants like Proof, Bitter Alibi, Bea’s, Barque, and more that decide to join in are receiving more income.
Local people | Hot + restaurant-quality meals going to organizations that assist people in need.
Local economy | The money going to these restaurants is often recirculated into the local economy — through staff members, real estate, food, supplies, etc.