Hospitality Professionals Raise Funds to Feed Frontline Workers

Tough times tend to bring out the best in people, especially the good folks in the hospitality industry. While restaurants and purveyors struggle with the COVID 19 closures, they have found ways to stay operative, while helping healthcare workers on the front-lines of the pandemic. Here is how you can help them help those who help all of us.

Feed Our Frontlines Feeds Healthcare Workers

Annie Eckhoff, who’s mother is a nurse practitioner, and Jeremy Sutherland, along with Jeremy’s brother, chef and restaurant owner Justin Sutherland, founded Chefs Feed Our Frontlines, a GoFundMe campaign to provide healthcare workers a meal while putting local chefs and cooks back to work. Daily deliveries will be made providing over 4000 lunches so far for healthcare workers at clinics including Park Nicollet Clinic Lakeville, Stillwater Medical Group Specialty Clinic and HealthPartners Clinic St. Paul, among others.

Additionally, Sutherland’s Fare Well food truck will continue to serve free lunch to school children, and anyone in need, through Shish on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. Contributing chefs include Sutherland’s Fare Well partner Leo Judeh, Gary Sherwood, Brandon Randolph and JD Fratzke. Food and financial contributions are accepted at Shish.

Buy Gift Cards for Restaurants for Healthcare Workers

Sarah Jane and Jameel Winter launched a GoFundMe campaign that’s a win-win for two sectors, the suffering restaurant industry and the frontline workers so deserving of a break. 100% of donations go towards the purchase of gift cards from local restaurants, which are in turn given to healthcare workers at the M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital.

Feed a Nurse

Leah Shiely Swenson’s concern for her daughter Kelsey Swenson, an ICU nurse at United Hospital in St. Paul, led to a partnership with Kelsey’s future mother-in-law, Lisa Nemer Noah. Their GoFundMe campaign, Feed A Nurse MN, is nearing its $10,000 goal in an effort to pick up meals from local restaurants to help feed Kelsey and her team.

Small Makers Serving Snacks

Who doesn’t love snacks? When the Chief of Staff at the dedicated COVID Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul reached out to Thumb Cookies owner Robyn Franke asking for snacks for her overworked crew, an idea was born. MN HERO SNACK PACK delivers treats from local makers like Thumb Cookies, Isadore Nut Company and North Mallow Marshmallows to medical workers. While the makers are donating their product, donations help offset the burden at a time when small retailers are struggling.

Ice Cream Makes Everything Better

Ashlee Olds, owner of Sweet Science Ice Cream created Morale Boost Pints as a way of bringing some much-needed cheer to healthcare providers. A simple donation of $10 sends a pint of Olds’ small batch ice cream to those on the front lines. Or, keep the ice cream for yourself by ordering a themed Fun Four Pack with all profits going to the Boost Morale program.

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