Stories

Food is Love

Mar 23, 2022 | Community Involvement

What started off as a fun and festive costume party with friends, has now turned into an annual fundraising initiative raising thousands of dollars, countless gifts, and priceless moments for non-profit organizations around the Austin area. 

Chanda Mau, a food blogger based in Austin, orchestrated a way to combine her annual holiday event with a fundraiser to give back to the community. Each year, she and her friends collect holiday gifts and donate to organizations around Austin, including Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area.  

For the past 16 years, Chanda had grown her small donation giveback get-togethers to pop-ups around the Austin area with other small businesses that wanted to participate in her fundraising efforts.  

With the wavering effect of COVID-19, Chanda needed to find a solution to continue giving back to the community that was close to heart. “As refugees from Cambodia, we were sponsored by family and supported by the catholic church. One thing I will never forget is receiving gifts from strangers during the holidays when we needed it most. Giving back has always been personal to me.” Chanda reflects as she takes a different approach to her 2020 event.  

Learning that her annual festive fundraiser had to be postponed, Chanda quickly pivoted a new way to fundraise for BGCAA. Utilizing her skills and passion for food, Chanda began selling her infamous egg rolls to close friends and the community to purchase holiday gifts for teens in the Austin area. With a successful outcome, Chanda and community supporters coordinated a dedicated event in 2021 to support BGCAA Clubs. 

The Sip and Shop Christmas market donated partial to 100% of all vendor sales to BGCAA. 

With a big thanks to Thao Roth, owner of Smokin Beauty BBQ, a Vietnamese and BBQ restaurant located in north Austin, for offering her space and donating her business sales to support BGCAA’s youth for the holiday season. The Sip and Shop Christmas market brought in over a dozen vendors, food trucks, and entertainment who participated in donating partial to 100% of their business sales of the day to BGCAA. Together, they raised brand awareness for Austin’s youth and raised over $1,000 dollars to the organization.   

 

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area is grateful for community partners and supporters every year like Chanda who have dedicated years to empower our future leaders.  

Stay updated with Chanda’s efforts at @feedmerightmau and learn how you can participate in her fundraising initiatives to our Clubs.

 

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