Operation Meal Plan, a small business and non-profit support initiative, was created by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Cobb Community Foundation, the Center for Family Resources, and Cobb County’s non-profits to provide food to those in need, help local restaurants keep their workers employed, and provide a vehicle for citizens to help each other.

Operation Meal Plan is supported through a tax deductible and community-backed fund and fulfilled through participating restaurants. Restaurants receive orders in increments of 25 meals, to be delivered to non-profit organizations around Cobb who serve meals as part of their mission. The restaurants are paid at unit cost from the Operation Meal Plan fund at Cobb Community Foundation. The meals are individually wrapped and include at least one protein, one starch and at least one vegetable or fruit.

“This project is just one great example of how Cobb’s business and non-profit communities are pulling together to get help to those in need,” said Sharon Mason, president and CEO of the Cobb Chamber. “Our goal was to find a way to keep our restaurants afloat while providing a valuable resource to our non-profits who are serving people in need. Operation Meal Plan is a way to link these entities together.”

Below is a list of currently participating restaurants:

• Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits

• Carabba's Italian Grill

• Elizabeth's Edibles Personal Chef Services

• Freddy's Frozen Custard (West Cobb)

• The Georgian Club

• Kouzina Christos

• Murph's

• Otter's Chicken

• Parsley's Catering

• Rafferty's Restaurant and Bar

• Tropical Smoothie Café

• Yakitori Jinbei

• Your Pie

• Zaxby's

“By hosting this fund with the Cobb Community Foundation, the Cobb Chamber has made giving easy and safe,” said Shari Martin, president and CEO of the Cobb Community Foundation. “We help identify non-profits who could really use this help. In this time of crisis, for the time and expense of meal preparation to be handled by someone else is a true blessing for the non-profits receiving this service."

For restaurants interested in participating in Operation Meal Plan, contact Nate Futrell, with the Cobb Chamber, at [email protected] and include the following information: point of contact for the restaurant, contact information and what the restaurant’s capacity is per meal request.

For non-profits in need of food for their clients, contact Melanie Kagan, with the Center for Family Resources, at [email protected]. After non-profits and restaurants sign up to participate, Kagan will coordinate orders between the groups, scheduling all orders the day prior.

For community members, groups or organizations that would like to contribute to Operation Meal Plan, all contributions are made through the Cobb Community Foundation and are tax deductible. Contribute here: https://bit.ly/2QNq6aB. Upon service delivery, restaurants provide an invoice so the Cobb Community Foundation can reimburse the at-unit cost.

“Donors can be assured that their contributions are used for charitable purposes and that they will receive the formal acknowledgments that are needed to deduct those gifts,” said Martin. “We have developed a very simple process for paying the restaurants for meal prep and delivery that ensures we have the documentation needed without anyone having to go through an arduous reimbursement process.”