'Bachelor' star Michael Allio, Cavs players among local celeb volunteers at MealsGiving
Northeast Ohio athletes, influencers and other community members gathered at Cordelia on East Fourth Street in Cleveland to give back to the community for the first MealsGiving event.
"We're trying to be there for the need to feed people, we're going to feed as many people as we can," said Vinnie Cimino, Akron native and chef partner of Cordelia. Cimino was a 2024 finalist for the James Beard best chef in the Great Lakes region.
The idea of MealsGiving came from Emmy-award-winning host, comedian and Cleveland native Ricky Smith, who founded the nonprofit Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere or RAKE. MealsGiving was also proclaimed as an official holiday by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
“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,” Bibb said. “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.”
At Cordelia, they donated and prepared 1,000 meals, including 500 served on location and 500 for delivery. The traditional Thanksgiving meal included turkey, stuffing, veggies and mashed potatoes with gray. The delivery meals would be heading to shelters, churches and community centers.
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Individuals, businesses and organizations were able to support MealsGiving by submitting a MealsGiving pledge form from their website describing how they plan to provide hot meals to one or more residents in their community.
Special guest volunteers included Bibb, along with players from both the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers, media personalities, first responders and even Cavs Frog.
Michael Allio of Copley, known as "Zaddy" on season eight of "Bachelor of Paradise," also was a server.
Smith welcomed guests by announcing how many were walking in followed by a round of applause.
Music was playing all around the restaurant while organizers helped pass plates around and decorated holiday cards and bags.
Cavs guard Darius Garland was back in the kitchen making to-go plates along with center Jarrett Allen and other teammates.
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The Cleveland Metropolitan School District also participated in the event by rewarding students who had good attendance and were in good academic standing to stop by Cordelia and enjoy a hot meal.
"It's a team collaborative effort, it makes it special and worthwhile as well," said Marc Blaushild, the CEO of Famous Supply, who partnered up with Smith.