RedCapes Bloomington

RedCapes is a non-profit project aimed at tackling food insecurity in our local community and has partnered with the Salvation Army to help make this a reality. In a friendly Iron-Chef-style competition, we will bring together around 20 volunteers to form teams and compete against each other in 4 rounds to prepare the best-tasting food. Teams will be scored on taste and preparation, and each member of the winning team will receive a custom 2024 RedCapes Apron. All the food, amounting to about 540 total servings, will be distributed through Salvation Army around Thanksgiving. The Red Cape is seen as a symbol of hope and giving back to others, which embodies the project's purpose. With Bloomington's rampant food insecure population paired with a median household income less than half the national mark, we feel this is the perfect environment to begin an undertaking of this nature where students can involve themselves directly in helping the community. This project will result in community service hours for student volunteers, several families fed on and around Thanksgiving, exposure for any affiliated organizations, and credit to those involved in its development. Should the event be successful, we hope to replicate it in the future and continue inspiring students to give back to their communities.