ATLANTA, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As COVID-19 continues to disrupt business operations globally, many communities are coming together to find moments of humanity amid the chaos. In Atlanta, national corporate catering platform Cater2.me, and popular scheduling application Calendly, are partnering to deliver dozens of meals every week to local food rescue organization, Second Helpings Atlanta.

"When we founded the business 10 years ago, it was our intention to bring community to the office through locally-sourced food. While COVID-19 has not changed that mission, we have altered it to the times, to ensure we're supporting all our communities by connecting local food businesses with local organizations to help those in need," said Zach Yungst, co-founder of Cater2.me.

"Atlanta is our home—our community," said Calendly CEO Tope Awotona. "Calendly was founded here and has grown here. We're happy to be able to help this city that has done so much for us during these unprecedented times."

The special meal deliveries came together shortly before Cater2.me formally announced its nationwide Vendor Assistance & Community Support Program. As part of this effort, clients can sponsor a set of meals that are delivered to local food banks and community organizations rather than to their offices during the time employees are working from home. Cater2.me is also donating its commission as part of this initiative.

"When Calendly reached out to us, asking if their weekly office meals could be shifted from delivery on behalf of employees to a worthy local cause, we jumped at the chance," said Cater2.me co-founder, Alex Lorton. "We already had the infrastructure in place to execute this type of program, and we knew there were many organizations in the markets we serve that had been hurt during the national slowdown."

Within hours of the first call between Cater2.me and Calendly, the wheels for the first delivery were in motion with Second Helpings Atlanta. That delivery was happily received on Monday of this week. 

"We were thrilled to get the call about the desire to donate meals to hungry people," said Andrea Jaron, Executive Director of Second Helpings Atlanta.

"Our expertise is coordinating the logistics between food donors and partner agencies who provide services to those in need. Second Helpings Atlanta's mission is to reduce food waste and hunger in Metro Atlanta by rescuing fresh, nutritious surplus food, and because of the generosity of Cater2.me and Calendly, we were all able to support a community meal program, which is evermore important during the current health crisis."

This type of partnership is intended to assist not only community organizations, but also local food vendors, and the ecosystem that relies on them. Jack's New Yorker Deli in Atlanta's Buckhead section executed and delivered the meals, and was happy to do what they do best while helping their community in a time of crisis.

"As a restaurant struggling to maintain operations during this economic and public health crisis, Jack's New Yorker Deli was thrilled to receive the call from Cater2.me requesting the large breakfast order for Calendly and its subsequent donation to Second Helpings Atlanta," said Jeremy Cowan, Owner of Jack's New Yorker Deli in Buckhead. 

"Calendly's generosity not only helped to feed those in need, but also allowed our small business to keep 10 employees working for another week.  As restaurant sales have declined 60 to 70 percent, the Calendly donation allowed us to retain our staff for another week and continue to serve our community.  We are grateful for the awesome work of Second Helpings Atlanta during this time of crisis, and the kindness of Calendly and Cater2.me to give back to our community." 

In a joint statement,  co-founders of Cater2.me, Yungst and Lorton, and Awotona, the CEO of Calendly, said, "We are glad to have found a productive and helpful partnership during these tough times that could do some good in the Greater Atlanta community. We wish everyone a return to health and prosperity shortly."

Calendly and Cater2.me plan to continue their partnership in Atlanta, while Cater2.me is already working on further client-donated community assistance programs in Austin, New York, San Francisco, and other key markets affected by COVID-19.

To contact Cater2.me about setting up a local, vendor-supplied donation to an organization in your community, please contact:
[email protected] 

About Cater2.me

Cater2.me provides customized corporate catering. Whether you need a one-time catering delivery or recurring meals, we bring delicious food from the best local chefs and restaurants to your table.From planning to on-site setup and feedback collection, we'll manage every aspect of your catering program.

About Calendly

Calendly is the global leader in scheduling software for external meetings. Founded in 2013, Calendly helps you schedule meetings without the back-and-forth emails. Calendly is used by the majority of Fortune 500 companies, as well as nearly all companies in the SaaS 1000.

About Second Helpings Atlanta

Since 2004, our community of volunteers has been picking up surplus nutritious perishable and frozen prepared food from grocery stores, big box retailers, corporate dining halls, schools and more — and delivering it to the many front-line agencies in the Metro Atlanta area that feed the hungry every day.  The food we rescue gets diverted from landfills to feed those in need, making Atlanta a more environmentally responsible city.

About Jack's New Yorker Deli

The New Yorker Deli was started in Vinings, GA in 2002, with a vision of recreating a New York style deli with a twist of Southern Charm. At our inception, the menu was simple yet effective, offering Reubens and cheesesteaks that were served with a pickle and chips. As our popularity increased our menu evolved to offer a wide variety of options including savory breakfast selections and gourmet salads. As we continue to grow, we will always stick to our original formula for success. We not only maintain our devotion to the highest quality meats and cheeses, but also continue to rely on customer service as our main ingredient to success.

SOURCE Calendly

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