How $5 and a Plate of Spaghetti Can Change a City

There’s a lot of money in the crowdfunding world. And MealTics is looking to move some of that support into hungry communities that need a financial boost. They’ve combined the crowdfunding model with traditional fundraising to build an opportunity for people to easily turn meals from their favorite local restaurants into donations for local shelters and soup kitchens. Their current campaign to raise 5,000 spaghetti dinners from Rino’s Restaurant, outside Philadelphia, takes just a $5 donation from diners, and it’s starting to catch on.

 

Community Groups Guarantee $5 Bags Filled With Local Fruits and Veggies

Healthy foods can be prohibitively expensive, but not every fresh produce provider is a moneymaker. In Weatherford, Texas, just west of Fort Worth, the Rotary Club and Weatherford Christian School (WCS) have developed programs to share low-cost fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables with the public. With 15 items in each bag, the $5 price tag means that the groups often lose money the deal, and they make up the cost “passing the hat” among members. The programs have become popular over the past few months, especially since the re-usable bags make the bargain even more attractive. For the WCS program, the environmentally friendly bags don’t just draw in more people, they also fuel a fundraising effort to serve nearby hungry populations. Parents can purchase unused bags and the proceeds go toward the school’s weekly Meals on Wheels route.

 

Oregon has an Indiegogo Campaign to Give Portlanders a Huge Off-Road Bike Park

Portlanders have been talking in their sustainable libraries and wheat grass shot-shops about building a big, new off-road bike park. The city, and state, listened. Oregon teamed up with Indiegogo, and is looking to raise $100,000 to turn 38 acres of unused earth into a bike utopia. This could be the beginning of a new era of infrastructure investment; crowdfunding is big, but the government hasn’t so much as dipped its toe in the communally-funded pool. Since the recession, budgets have been slashed, and infrastructure projects have been stalled. Oregon could pave the way for cities and states around the country to repair their bridges and bottom lines.
[Image: Build Gateway Green, Indiegogo]