Meet Our Intern Eliza Green
Where are you from? How do you describe the place you grew up to people who've never been there?
I grew up in a small town in Connecticut (Pomfret) and moved to Haverford, Pennsylvania when I was 9...
Plates with a Purpose: Making a Difference through Love, Purpose and Community
Many people think about food insecurity during the holiday season and during colder months. Others make it their year-round mission to help people who are struggling to put food on the table. Two such women started a local organization, Plates with Purpose (PWP), in 2020, dedicated to providing meals for people in need while simultaneously empowering restaurants and strengthening a community.
The co-founders of PWP, Jennifer Capracotta and Jennifer Fantozzi, were both born and raised in the Ocean State and have been friends for 22 years. Although they both have full-time jobs, their weeknights and weekends are spent “connecting with restaurant owners, other human services organizations, schools and senior centers to coordinate fundraising and meal deliveries,” says Fantozzi.
PWP partners with restaurants around the state. By sharing menus and specials with followers on social media, hosting trivia nights and other activities, PWP helps those restaurants generate revenue and become part of the solution for food insecurity in their respective communities. Current restaurants include Blackie’s in Smithfield, Giusto in Newport, Mangiamo in North Providence, Thirsty Beaver in Cranston, Iggy’s and Gel’s Kitchen in Warwick, SoCo Vedge in Narragansett and Atrium on Main in Pawtucket. They also recently partnered with Terminesi’s Cafe in Wakefield, which will be preparing meals for the Jonnycake Center for Hope in South Kingstown.
One of PWP’s programs is called #fullbellies, which has been up and running since the pandemic-inspired Universal Free Lunch program ended in 2023. The PWP program provides meals for children who can’t afford a balanced meal but don’t qualify for free and reduced lunch; sometimes families miss the required low-income level by mere cents. One restaurant that stepped in to help with #fullbellies is Blackie’s in Smithfield.
“It has been a privilege to work with Plates with Purpose as it brings our entire team together in support of local families allowing us to nourish their souls with food we love,” says Jeanine Iannucci, co-owner with Angie Armenese. “We’re honored to be part of the Plates with Purpose family and encourage other restaurants to get on board and support families in their neighborhoods.”
PWP’s second program is called the Community Hope Chest: a repository full of hope in the form of canned food and pantry staples that helps fill gaps for those in need. Chests filled with these needed food items are located in Johnston (just outside the Johnston Public Library) and in North Providence (outside North Providence Housing Authority on Charles Street). Members of the community work together not only to take what they need but to leave what they are able. Capracotta and Fantozzi are working to bring more “hope chests” to other Rhode Island communities as well.
The two women have goals to, in their words, “build relationships in all 39 cities and towns in our state, and continue to focus our efforts on raising greater awareness about the persistence of food insecurity in our state.” When asked about what makes Rhode Island special to them, Fantozzi says, “Two of our most used lines are ‘Nobody rallies like Rhode Island’ and ‘Rhode Island is the smallest state with the biggest heart.’”
To learn more about Plates with Purpose and see how you can get involved, visit their website and follow them on Instagram @plateswithpurpose.ri.
You Might Also Like