b'Drs. Swathi Ravichandran and Rajeev Rajaram emigrated to theUnited States from India. Swathi runs the new Cedar Fair Resort and Attraction Management program for Bowling Green State University and Rajeev is a math professor at Kent State University. The couple has been involved in philanthropy before, mostly providing scholarshipsbecause of their connection and strong commitment to education. But when the pandemic hit, they were inspired to take their giving to a whole new level. Together they introduced the ideaRESPONSIBILITYfor the Share-a-Meal program to the ECCF and offered to fund the first phase of the initiative.IS THE ABILITY TO Little did they know that their brainchild for a local pairing of support for struggling restaurants and families facing food insecurity would grow into such a large-scale and ongoing communityRESPOND.collaboration.LUCILLE BALLLikening the idea to the mission of the World Central Kitchen organization that provides meals in the wake of natural disasters, Swathi remarked, You have two parties in need. On one hand, you have businesses that are able to provide and prepare foodand they need thebusinessand on the other hand, you have massive unemployment and underemployment. People really struggling to put meals on the table for their families. It was a no-brainer to bring these two entities together. Plus, the restaurant industry is absolutely near and dear to my heart. When businessesbegan shutting down, I knew there was going to be a pretty significant and serious impact on restaurants. Small businesses, including restaurants, are usually the ones out front supporting the community, hosting or sponsoring fundraisers for schools and community members. It was time for the community to rally around them. Swathi joined the Board at the ECCF in 2019 and serves on the grants committee. She was raised in a very giving family and attended Catholic school, so Swathi was accustomed to giving back. My husband and I have both been blessed with good educations, good jobs and the abilityto share with others when theyre in need. My experience reading though grant applications at the Foundation really opened my eyes to how much need there is right here in our own community. Swathi and Rajeev also took a very hands-on approach to their Share-a-Meal donation, volun-teering to pass out food the day of the first distribution. One conversation that stuck out for Swathi is when a restaurant owner told her how guilty he felt charging for the meals. He said that any other time they would have offered the meals free-of-charge out of responsibility for the community. Swathi and her husband were humbled by the hundreds of cars lined up long before the event started and surprised at how many large families with young kids there were. Ive always been aware of hunger issues, but not in the way I am now, she said. It doesnt really hit you until you see it, until youre actually there to see the gratefulness in the eyes of the people.Thanks to the generosity and leadership of Swathi and Rajeev, the Share-a-Meal program wasa huge success, providing much-needed support to Erie Countys restaurants and residents during the pandemic.7'