With new restaurants opening daily, it takes something special for any one eatery to stand out. Since its beginning, b.good (www.bgood.com) has tried to make its mark by offering freshly-made food that is created and prepared by friendly people who care about their own health and also the health and wellbeing of their customers and their communities. Two years ago, the company launched the b.good Family Foundation, which raises funds and offers grants to deserving community initiatives that inspire and support such community engagement and involvement. Even more recently, however, many of their Boston-area staff have taken the corporate philosophy one step further by stepping right into Boston schools.
After having collected over 2,000 food donations through their customer loyalty program, the b.good team went looking for a worthy recipient.
“I contacted a b.good customer who I knew teaches at the Mather Elementary School,” explains co-founder Jon Olinto.
Jon Olinto of b.good
That customer is Grace McGregor, an early b.good adopter who is now considered a “family member” through the company’s customer loyalty program.
“They were having a contest to find a good cause to donate their amazing fresh food to,” McGregor explains. “As a teacher in a low-income area, I wrote to them, asking that they donate to my school so that my students could experience some real local and healthy food.”
As the Dorchester school does not have its own kitchen, students and staff rely on school meals that are prepared off site and then delivered by truck. As such, students are unable to experience the cooking process and often unable to enjoy the freshest foods. In an effort to give them a new flavor and a new perspective, the b.good staff even brought their own grills so they could cook the meals right before the students’ eyes.
“It’s great that a company that supports local food suppliers chooses to share quality food with kids who don’t always get that,” observes Mather PE Teacher Charles Lucas.
Working with McGregor and her colleagues at the Mather, Olinto and his team donated 700 burgers and smoothies to the students and staff in May and another 800 in October. During each of these visits, the food was not simply delivered, however. Instead, the students were shown how the locally-sourced ingredients were put together and cooked. In this way, each student was not only given a fish (or in this case, a burger) but was actually taught how to cook and also to be aware of what goes into their bodies.
“I felt it was important for our students to see what healthy food was like and for them to get the chance to enjoy it,” McGregor explains, noting that she had originally contacted Olinto while working at another area school.
While McGregor and her colleagues are clearly appreciative, the feedback from the students has been even more positive and rewarding.
“The burgers were so yummy,” said one student.
“I remember the smoothies from last year and they weren’t that good but I loved them this year,” added another, commenting on what it was like to try a new, healthy type of food for the first time.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership so far,” McGregor says, “and Jon Olinto has been so generous!”
Looking forward, Olinto says that he hopes to return to the Mather again soon. He also hopes that his loyal customers will allow and encourage him to expand the community partnership program even further.
“We’d like to inspire our customers to donate so much that we could visit monthly or even weekly,” he says. “That way, eating healthy becomes a habit for the students, rather than a treat.”