Darius and several of his Cavalier teammates will join members of the Cleveland Browns to serve 1,000+ meals donated by the award-winning restaurant Cordelia.

CLEVELAND, OH — Thursday, November 21, 2024 - Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Darius Garland is teaming up with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and hundreds of other Northeast Ohio athletes, influencers, media personalities, and volunteers to serve hot meals to those in need as part of the inaugural MealsGiving celebration on November 26.

Darius will be joined by Cavalier teammates in addition to members of the Cleveland Browns roster, inside Cordelia to serve 1,000+ meals donated by the award-winning local restaurant. Recipients will include newly housed families, children from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), first responders, and military veterans.

“I’m incredibly proud to partner with Mayor Bibb to serve meals to the Cleveland community – a place I’m grateful to call home – for this amazing MealsGiving event. A special thank you to the RAKE organization for helping us bring joy and smiles during this holiday season,” said Garland.

The brainchild of Emmy-award-winning host, comedian, and proud Cleveland native Ricky Smith (@rickonia), the MealsGiving (#MealsGiving, @MealsGiving) is about making November 26, 2024, and every Tuesday before Thanksgiving, a day when “everyone eats.” Supported by Smith’s nonprofit, Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere, or RAKE (@rake_now) and proclaimed as an official holiday by the City of Cleveland, MealsGiving will use the power of food to foster a sense of community and connection throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond.

“People helping people is what Cleveland is all about, and MealsGiving encapsulates that mantra. We are so incredibly appreciative of Ricky, RAKE, and all the partners putting on this event,” said Mayor Bibb. “We have said time and again that government cannot solve our communities’ problems alone and we hope that Ricky’s team serves as an inspiration for others to step up, especially with the upcoming holiday season.”

ANYONE ANYWHERE CAN GET INVOLVED

While in-person volunteers are no longer needed, individuals, businesses, and organizations in Cleveland and beyond can support MealsGiving by using November 26 as a day to share love, one dish at a time. Whether it’s making breakfast for a loved one, sending lunch to a first responder station, or catering dinner for an area shelter, anyone can spread kindness this MealsGiving.

#MEALSGIVING

Support MealsGiving from afar on November 26 by tagging @mealsgiving in a photo or video of your experience sharing hot meals using the hashtag #mealsgiving.

“No gift is too big or too small,” said MealsGiving creator Ricky Smith. “No matter if you share hundreds of meals throughout the year or a single plate on MealsGiving, this cause is about expressing gratitude by serving the unsung, overlooked, and vulnerable in our community through selfless acts of stomach-filling generosity so that everyone eats. Simply put, it’s a day to pay it forward with food.”

LOCAL IMPACT

Cordelia, located at 2058 E 4th St, will close to the public for the day to serve as “MealsGiving” headquarters and donate 1,000 meals, including 500 served on-location and 500 for delivery. Owner Andrew Watts said, “This is true Cleveland spirit and what we are all about at Cordelia; creating space for the entire community to come together to feed people – that is why Chef Vinnie and I along with our whole team jumped in to support.”

Local volunteers will deliver meals prepared by other participating restaurants to locations and recipients across Greater Cleveland, including:

● Military veterans
● Cleveland-area shelters for the unhoused
● Cleveland-area hospitals
● Local frontline workers
● Local first responders
● Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio

HOW TO LEARN MORE

To MealsGiving creator Ricky Smith, the bigger the impact, the better. “While it may be an ambitious goal, we aim to share 10,000 meals across America on MealsGiving to foster a sense of kindness, warmth, and connection throughout Cleveland and beyond. We already have over 7,000 meals bought, donated, or pledged.” Smith said. For more information on how to get involved, contact Info@rakenow.org, 424-BE-KIND-0 (23-5463-0), or visit mealsgiving.org to sign up today.

About Ricky Smith

Finding creative ways to support those in need has always been a passion for Cleveland native Ricky Smith (@rickonia). As a comedian, Emmy-award-winning host, and creator of Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere or R.A.K.E., a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to improving the world one kind act at a time, Ricky is out to prove that giving goes a long way toward making the world a better place. From an early age, Ricky possessed a need to excite the world with his off-kilter wit and eagerness to help others in any way he could. From handing out umbrellas on a rainy day to awarding absolute strangers with tickets to upcoming sporting events, Ricky believes in paying it forward by treating others to experiences they will never forget.

About RAKE

The purpose of Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere, or RAKE (@rake_now), is simple: To support communities in a positive way by enriching lives, encouraging kindness, and promoting the act of “paying it forward.” Every example of kindness, no matter how big or small, has the power to make a positive difference for someone in need. From providing food and clothes to people experiencing homelessness to donating books to local schools, R.A.K.E. is all about making an impact one good deed at a time.