A Fund for Jennie Perillo

Unless otherwise indicated in the transaction, all current donations will go toward the #afundforjennie campaign.

As far as online communities go, food bloggers have a bond that runs deep. That’s why this community responded en masse when blogger Jennifer Perillo lost her husband, Mike, to a sudden heart attack a few weeks ago. With two daughters, ages 3 and 8, to raise alone, and her Social Security widow’s benefits being denied and health insurance soon to run out, Jennie’s devastation has been unimaginable, and her challenges undeniable.

Through her blog, In Jennie’s Kitchen, Jennie has long expressed her love of food and of her family, offering recipes alongside stories and reflections on life. Friends and followers saw how strong Jennie and Mike’s love was. “He and Jennifer had a storybook romance. They were meant to be together,” says Mike’s longtime friend Stephen Shepard, who describes Mike as a loving father and “one of the funniest guys I knew.”

When Jennie shared news of the tragedy on her blog, she included a recipe for Creamy Peanut Butter Pie—Mike’s favorite. She asked the community to bake a pie in his honor. They did her one better.

Snapshots of fresh-baked pies began flooding blogs and Twitter feeds, using the hashtag #afundforjennie, and the Mikey’s Peanut Butter Pie movement even made headlines. Soon donations began pouring in from real-life friends and online acquaintances alike. Bloggers started online auctions with proceeds going to Jennie and her children. And Jennie continues to blog, not only recipes but her raw emotions, thoughts, fears and gratitude for the emotional and financial support through this difficult time.

Bloggers Maggy Keet, of ThreeManyCooks, and Erika Pineda-Ghanny, of The Ivory Hut, saw in the online food community what they already knew lay dormant: passion and support beyond measure for a surprisingly tight-knit community of food lovers. The movement for #afundforjennie pushed their months-in-the-making plans into action: a nonprofit charity organization for bloggers and their community, called Bloggers without Borders.

Striving to grasp the enthusiasm and kindness that sprang in response Jennie’s tragic loss, Bloggers without Borders will take on causes like #afundforjennie with the goal of uniting bloggers and readers to raise awareness and aid when events affect someone in that community and beyond.

Visit Bloggers without Borders to learn more about the organization’s efforts, A Fund for Jennie and the auctions as well as other ways you can make a donation.—Eva Meszaros

Eva Meszaros is the associate editor of foodspring.com
and author of foodspring’s food for thought blog.

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