As the region braces itself for Election Day 2020, local restaurants and activist groups are making preparations of their own. Throughout early voting and in anticipation of long lines on Nov. 3, they’re working to make sure voters don’t get out of voting lines because they’re hungry or thirsty.
José Andrés’ nonprofit World Central Kitchen has provided more than 2,000 free meals to D.C. voters at the polls last week as part of its nationwide #ChefsForThePolls initiative. (Early voting in D.C. began last Tuesday at 32 locations across the city.)
“We really just wanted to get the word out that voting, however you do vote, shouldn’t be something hard—and it shouldn’t be something that makes you feel anything other than positive,” says Mollie Kaufmann, a chef at World Central Kitchen. “And we wanted to be able to help in any way, shape, and form, with that effort.”
WCK’s efforts have focused on providing food and drinks at polling places that have historically had long lines or limited facilities, Kaufmann says. Time of day has also been a consideration: “Early morning voting is a definite thing in D.C.,” she says, so they’ve provided breakfast offerings and coffee at some polling stations, and lunch or dinner options at polls that usually are busier later in the day.
The food provided at polling stations is available to anyone, she says — not just voters.
“People come on their lunch break, and they come before work, and they come after work, and they come when they get their kids all set up for virtual learning, and people bring their kids,” Kaufmann says. “So many families have come, it’s become almost like a family event.”
Immigrant Food, which opened last year, is one of the restaurants that has teamed up with World Central Kitchen. Its team jumped at the opportunity to contribute, says Téa Ivanovic, Immigrant Food’s director of communications.
“We strongly support voting, and we’re very, very happy to do this because this allows us to bring back employees,” Ivanovic says. The restaurant has provided 450 snack-style meals, centered around sandwiches.
Fuel the People, a nonprofit forged in the wake of George Floyd’s killing to support protesters and BIPOC-owned restaurants and businesses, has also been supporting voters and poll workers. The group provided 275 meals last Tuesday in Wards 5 and 8, and will be supporting voters on Election Day, according to an Instagram post.
Early last week, Bartenders Against Racism launched its #HYDRATETHEVOTE initiative, which has been collecting water, snacks, masks, and hand sanitizer for voters who will be standing in “those very, very long lines” on Tuesday, says Allison Lane, the group’s president.
“Just knowing that you’re supported really makes a difference to people,” Lane says.
The group, which was also created during this summer’s social justice movement and handed out thousands of bottles of water to protesters, will be focusing its efforts on wards 5, 7, and 8, as well as polling places in Virginia and Maryland.
“Voter suppression is real,” Lane says, “and we’re not going to change policy unless we get out there.”
Some restaurants, such as Electric Cool-Aid in Shaw, are also partnering with the group to “adopt” polling places and distribute food and beverages, Lane says. (Electric Cool-Aid and the Gibson also hosted supply drives this week to support the Election Day effort.)
“We’re just going to do the most we can with what we have,” Lane says.
