Leo Flemming on fueling Flavor Foward

Leo Flemming is passionate about fighting food insecurity as a volunteer and experimenting in social entrepreneurship through an effort called Flavor Forward. Next year, Leo will leverage his passions as a Civic Engagement Fellow at Westminster - a program that offers volunteer service opportunities on and off campus throughout the year for all ages, including special Family Service Days, an annual Habitat for Humanity build, fundraising, and special projects.

Learn more about Leo’s efforts to feed those in need and how you can help.

What impact areas or pressing needs facing Atlanta do you care about most? Why?

I started our Flavor Forward program to help combat food insecurity, and that is what we care about most. Through this Flavor Forward initiative, volunteers prep meals and deliver them to various FREE99Fridge locations around Atlanta. I think that food is an absolute human right, and that everybody should have access to a healthy fulfilling meal every day.

“The COVID pandemic made me realize how many people in the community needed help when no help was able to be given to them. Part of the reason we volunteer is to make sure people get the help they need, especially in making sure they have food at home.””

— Leo Flemming

What do you love most about the organization you volunteer with? Why do you volunteer with them?

I love Flavor Forward because I am in charge of what I can do, and I can see the results pretty quickly. Preparing meals for Flavor Forward is a very tangible way to volunteer and I really enjoy it.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your volunteering efforts?

The COVID pandemic made me realize how many people in the community needed help when no help was able to be given to them. Part of the reason we volunteer is to make sure people get the help they need, especially in making sure they have food at home.

Can you share a memorable highlight or moment you've experienced that might motivate others to volunteer?

One memorable highlight of mine was was packing 60 total meals in a restaurant and driving out to different fridges to drop them off. It was memorable because of how lots of people in the restaurant worked together to cook the food and pack it, which made me feel like we were really making a difference.

Volunteering in April? Share where, when and if others can join you or how they can get involved.

If you would like to prep meals (in batches of 25+ similar to what our friend @soupbelly_atl did), reach out to us and we can give some guidance on how. We can reimburse you for the ingredients and containers and can arrange to pick the meals up and deliver them to the fridges. If you are a student, we also can keep you busy in helping to package and deliver the food.

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