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A few weeks ago, we published a blog post about how you can give back to your community during COVID-19, with a few examples of the humanitarian projects that our teammates have undertaken during these trying times. We’re very proud of the work that all of our agents have done in volunteering around our communities across the DMV — but today we want to highlight one pair of agents in particular.
Upon hearing from one of their clients that many restaurants in the DMV were facing serious woes due to stay-at-home orders, Libby Bish and Rafael Melo decided to take action to help give back to the community that has given us so much. They founded Frontline Fuel, a campaign where donations are used to order food from local restaurants and deliver it to healthcare workers at hospitals around the area. As their campaign gained steam, they were able to expand the aid they were giving to both restaurants and hospital workers, while also delivering video messages from donors to the frontline hands who are tirelessly working to keep us safe during the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’d like to help the locals by helping the locals,” Libby and Rafael state on their gofundme page — and having raised over $9,000, helped over 20 local businesses, and delivered food to 600 nurses and doctors, it’s safe to say that they are accomplishing that mission admirably!
But that’s not the only reason that we are highlighting their achievements today — because something amazing happened last Friday.
Frontline Fuel has been gathering traction over the past few weeks, and Libby and Rafael have had their campaign featured in online outlets and national news broadcasts. This has been a great way for them to spread awareness of their goals and share how people can help give back. This attention came to a head on May 1st, when Libby and Rafael went to the White House to be honored by President Donald Trump and spread knowledge about Frontline Fuel on the official White House livestream.
The entire Keri Shull Team is so incredibly proud of Libby and Rafael for their hard work and dedication to giving back. It’s always amazing to see our teammates take the initiative to help provide for our clients and our communities — and we are ecstatic to see that their innovation and commitment are paying off in such big ways!
At the time of this writing, their speeches at the White House have been seen almost 70,000 times on Facebook alone. On top of that, their gofundme campaign jumped by over $2,300 in just the 2 days after they went live at Pennsylvania Avenue. And, best of all, their mission shows no signs of slowing down! The amazing duo of expert agents have been helping healthcare workers across the entirety of the DMV over the past several weeks, but they are looking to expand their aid to all frontline workers in the region. This means that they are going to begin using donations to provide catered meals to firefighters, police officers, mail couriers, and others working in essential businesses.
If you want to help Libby and Rafael give back to the community and show your thanks for the sacrifices of frontline workers, then there are a couple of things that you can do. First, consider donating to their gofundme page; all of the money that donors contribute goes directly to the costs of catering food and delivering it to nurses and doctors across the DMV. On top of that, they have partnered with Defy Aesthetic, a local health and beauty supplier, to deliver high-quality sanitizer along with the meals.
In addition to donations, Frontline Fuel is taking nominations for nurses and doctors who could benefit from their aid during these trying times. You can pass along these names by reaching out to Libby and Rafael on Instagram (@frontlinefuel) or on Facebook (@frontlinefueldmv) — and while you’re there, make sure to follow so you can get up-to-date news about their efforts. Finally, make sure to share their gofundme campaign with others who might be interested in helping Frontline Fuel give back to the DMV community.
Once again, we want to congratulate Libby and Rafael for their amazing efforts and thank them for their generosity and compassion during these times. When asked about what this amazing opportunity means to them, they responded by saying that “This is all about the frontline workers, we are blown away by their bravery & perseverance. We hope this exposure allows for more donations to come in and bless more people in the area!”
So if you want to join Libby and Rafael and spread blessings and positivity to frontline workers in the DMV, make sure to click here to check out their gofundme page and learn how you can help support their mission!
