A few months ago, Kimberly Renee connected with us just to start a conversation. She took time out of her day (and not to mention a very busy schedule) to educate brands like us on how we can be more intentional with our content; she even provided us with ideas to do so. She made us realize that brands like us have the power to stand up for injustices and create a space where people can come together for a great cause.

It has been about six months since we launched a week-long social media campaign called, “Self Care is Sweet”. “Self Care is Sweet” Week is something we came up with to invite influencers from different niches to come together and provide resources to the social-media community, whether it was wellness ideas, recipes, fitness, education, etc. We curated this mini-project after brainstorming with Kimberly with hopes to raise awareness about the Food Love mission as the end-goal.

Kimberly has a platform called, “Might Be Vegan” and within this, she created “Food Love” to provide people, especially Black, brown, and low-income communities, access to fresh, nourishing and healthy plant-based food.

Kimberly explained that when you’re not putting the right food in your body, you are more prone to illnesses and diseases, which is what we are seeing in those who contract Covid-19. This is especially true in BIPOC communities who are already living in food swamps with limited healthy options.

Now, almost a year into the pandemic, Food Love is an award-winning, national hunger relief effort challenging the way we deal with food insecurity, especially in a pandemic. This program is powered by volunteers, sponsors, and individual donors.

Each year, the Might Be Vegan platform focuses on one major effort. This year, that work is Food Love by Might Be Vegan. It’s designed to get fresh, immune-boosting, plant-based foods directly to the doorsteps of people in need.

Getting Food Love to this point wasn’t easy; Kimberly knew she wanted to do more than just feed people, she wanted to nourish people, too.

Kimberly also taught us that we need to be aware of potentially “killing ourselves in our own homes” and the power of plant-based diets. People are led to believe that whatever they pick up in the grocery store, or at fast food restaurants, is nourishing their bodies. “The fault of this does not rest on the people who have become subject to the mass media marketing messages of high calorie & high fat foods,” Kimberly said. “That’s not our fault, we believed it.”

So how does Food Love work? “I’m not in the business of reinventing the wheel,” Kimberly said. “Food Love is not an invention. It’s a connection.” It’s no secret that when tough times hit, the power of connection comes second to none.

At first concept, Kimberly knew she would need help from brands who were already in the plant-based meals industry.

“Everybody said no.” Kimberly said. She recalls this process as a very distraught one. She felt as if she was screaming and nobody heard her.

After pitching the mission and hearing dozens of “no’s” from numerous businesses, Splendid Spoon was the first “yes,” which was the first of many “connections” to follow. Companies like Splendid Spoon provide the meals while Kimberly and her team reference the database of those who are in need of these meals.

Remember we mentioned the power of connection? There it is again.

While being the force behind this dynamic mission, Kimberly is also a self-taught private chef, on-air personality noted for her infectious personality, and of course the founder of Might Be Vegan. She has over 21k Instagram followers in her own right. For her tasty recipes and community activism, Kimberly has been featured on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, Essence.com, Cheddar, VegNews.com, ABC Portland, Fox Washington, Buzzfeed, and KTLA. She has also made several guest host appearances on QVC.

Since we first formed a relationship with Kimberly, the growth of MightBeVegan.co has been climbing higher and wider. The brand is described as, “a plant-based media and marketing consultancy designed to help people around the world live a more healthful life by eating more plants. We partner with leading brands that share these values to develop content and experiences that inspire change and leave people hungry for the next thing, both literally and figuratively.”

All in all, we want to keep Food Love in the discussion because unfortunately COVID-19 and food insecurity are still very much present, therefore Food Love’s work remains hyper-relevant and consistent, as it’s been since day one.

If you’d like to learn more about the Food Love mission and ways you can be a part of it, click here for more information. In the meantime, if you are a brand or content creator wondering how you can make your content more intentional, Kimberly told us, “When you ask what I want other brands to do, answer the question ‘historically, what role has my industry played in the exploitation and oppression of others.’ Once you learn the answer, take action to rectify past actions and prevent future ones.”