Baird’s rapidly expanding Los Angeles-based nonprofit, alongside its partners, has already distributed 400,000 meals and pantry items.
Remarkably, this initiative emerged when Billie Eilish was on the brink of a sold-out Madison Square Garden performance in New York in March 2020, only to be interrupted by the CоVID-19 shutdown, prompting her return to Los Angeles with her family.
In their Los Angeles home, Eilish and her mother, Maggie Baird, discussed the impending food crisis due to widespread unemployment. This led them to order 20 meals from Sage Plant-Based Bistro & Brewery, which were then sent to the Midnight Mission, aiding the homeless in downtown Los Angeles. This act spurred the creation of Support + Feed, Baird’s nonprofit aimed at fostering an equitable, plant-based food system while addressing food insecurity and climate change.
Baird, a longtime vegan and environmental advocate, was motivated by her experiences with food insecurity organizations, realizing the lack of nutritious and climate-friendly meals provided. Support + Feed has since expanded to 41 cities in the U.S. and internationally, collaborating with over 80 community groups to distribute meals and pantry items.
Harnessing the support of Eilish’s fan base, Baird has integrated environmental activism into Eilish’s music career. Fans have participated in plant-based canned food drives at Eilish’s concerts, and Baird successfully advocated for plant-based options at concert venues, including convincing the O2 arena in the U.K. to go fully vegan for Eilish’s shows.
Baird’s dedication to environmental sustainability extends beyond Support + Feed. Collaborating with nonprofit Reverb, she and Eilish have worked to reduce the carbon footprint of Eilish’s tours and album releases.
By promoting plant-based food options, addressing waste at concert venues, and supporting clean energy initiatives, Baird aims to inspire both artists and fans to adopt more sustainable practices.
For Baird, every individual can contribute to preserving the planet, as evidenced by Support + Feed’s advocacy for plant-based eating. Encouraging visitors to the organization’s website to pledge to eat plant-based for 30 days, Baird emphasizes the significant impact even small actions can have on conserving resources and mitigating environmental damage.
