A chef, an expertise, a new approach to food
Back in 2018, Elliott Van de Velde became an European ambassador for Metro campaign supporting the importance of local impact and management of food surplus.
Through this, Elliott was exposed to the impressive reality behind the doors of many food supply networks. In one day & one store, he was able to recuperate 134 kg of food that would have ended in the trash for many reasons : stock depletion, “ugly” vegetables, near to the expiry date etc..
Realizing what was becoming possible, he changed his approach to food & started organizing dinners able to feed 600 people through food surplus with the help of volunteers & partners.
His approach was soon noticed by worldwide NGOs like Medecins du Monde & Doctors without Borders who decided to partner with him ongoingly. The concept was simple but challenging : Organizing fundraising gastronomic dinners at the profit of the NGO based on surplus food and cooked in partnership with Michelin Star restaurants. In the end, this is not 1 but 2 starred chefs who joined us on each of these dinners successfully & helped us raise no less than 30.000 euros!
Seeing the impact of such an approach, he funded in December 2019 the Nonprofit Organization (ASBL) “Hearth” with his partner, aiming at delivering meals to people in need using food surplus & self-financing itself via the organization of gastronomic dinners leveraging this food waste.
Our Vision
Because we are Hearth. We believe in a sustainable model leveraging food surplus and having a social impact locally fueled by a group of passionate & dedicated volunteers
We act as distributors and help social organizations by transforming surplus food into social meals to feed the vulnerable. We also train these non profit organizations to help them optimize their production and distribution of meals in a sustainable way.
We help fight against social exclusion via the creation and management of community based projects centered around the proposition of diverse activities : meals sharing ; diverse training and workshops allowing persons in need to develop valuable skills and further find their place in the professional life .
We contribute to educating a broader audience around the concepts of a sharing community, zero waste approach and sustainable consumption thanks to our partnership with different culinary Chefs ; foodservice companies; artists and social entrepreneurs sharing our vision for a more sustainable world.
The acceleration of our impact during COVID
During COVID, our actions accelerated as we took the lead of the extension of the HEROmeals project to Brussels ! An initiative which started in Antwerp and joined forces of logistics power from companies like Deliveroo & Too Good to Go, and of catering expertise& network from Midori group & Elliott Van de Velde.
This project of 3 months aimed at fostering a social & sustainable impact in times of COVID:
- 👨🏽⚕️👩🏽⚕️ offering healthy; nutritious & delicious meals to Healthcare providers & their families who are on the frontline of the fight against COVID19
- 👨🏼🌾🥕valorizing surplus food from Horeca industry like METRO/MAKRO Cash and Carry which led to massive waste and carbon footprint due to the closure of restaurants during COVID
- 👩🏽🍳🧑🏼🍳 employing the chefs and personnel from the Horeca industry unemployed due to COVID situation; helping them to stay connected; to feel valued; to keep on learning
- 👨🏼💼🙋🏻♀️ gathering citizen efforts from every person wanting to contribute in an efficient way to the current times we all live in ! As in the end we’re all heroes in our own way 😉
Our actions rapidly evolved towards social organizations as they got aware of our food service offer and faced logistical issues of having to deliver take away meals to a growing number of people in need with a reduced number of volunteers able to work in safe conditions.
As we are now working with 5 non profit organizations in Brussels, we aim at making our social model a sustainable and economically viable project via the organization of regular fundraising gastronomic events & workshops where we show to a broader public of epicureans and eco-conscious people the potential of leveraging food surplus and food waste .
Because we believe a local community of empowered actors can be of disruptive help in today's world ; and because we believe it is sometimes just a matter of creative connections that brings the right people and skills together that can change the world, one step at a time.
Get Involved
Did you know that living a purposeful life has as many physical benefits as inspirational ones ? In fact, leading your life towards meaningful goals improves sleep, health & provides personal achievement.
So if you want to start taking steps big or small, we are looking for dedicated people from every horizon, background and skills to join us and contribute to making a bigger impact together !
Contact us via our social networks or on our email address at elliott@hearthproject.com !
