Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on NextDoor.com. They have graciously given us permission to share it with our readers.
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As the situation with the coronavirus unfolds, neighbors and local businesses across the country are making an effort to take care of those that are taking care of us. Find inspiration from these neighborhoods that are generously giving back to the healthcare workers that need our help now more than ever.
The Meal Bridge
Grey Cohen, a high school sophomore from Atlanta, started an organization called The Meal Bridge to generate business for local restaurants while simultaneously feeding brave healthcare workers. The Meal Bridge provides a way for people to purchase meals from local businesses for hospital workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to a post on her mom’s Nextdoor account, neighbors donated meals for over 60 hospital workers at Emory University Hospital in only three days. Grey has now coordinated over 2,800 meal donations for 7 hospitals across Atlanta.
Cracked and Battered is Open for “Good”
Cracked and Battered recently opened in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco. In this neighborhood where salads and pilates studios are the norm, they were already fighting an uphill battle by opening a storefront to sell fried chicken and waffles. And then the crisis hit. Waleed Hamdan is a full-time nurse and lifelong family member of local San Francisco restaurateurs. He shared on Nextdoor that Cracked and Battered would be offering free meals for healthcare workers. Thanks to his post, there was an amazing turnout of neighbors buying up to 20 meals at a time to show their appreciation for local healthcare workers.
Feed the Front Line
Sarah Watson, a special education teacher in Houston, created an organization called Feed the Front Line to support hospital workers with fresh food from local restaurants. The goal is to collect donations to purchase food from local restaurants, then find volunteers to deliver the food as free meals to healthcare professionals. Local bakery owner George Joseph connected with Sarah on Nextdoor and they immediately began working together to fill orders. In their first week, the group collected enough to deliver over 1,000 free meals across Houston.
#BakeItForward
Tracy has been a pastry chef for over 10 years in New York City. Like many of her fellow hospitality workers, she was furloughed when her workplace had to close due to COVID-19. However, Tracy didn’t let the loss of her job stop her from helping others! She decided to #BakeItForward by delivering homemade cookies from her small studio apartment to local healthcare workers at NYU hospital to thank them for their hard work. She shared her recipe and posted about the project on Nextdoor to help fund the ingredients for a successful project. Neighbors donated over $3,000 and Tracy plans to donate at least half of the money to City Harvest, a local organization that supports neighbors that are food insecure. Read more about #BakeItForward on Good Morning America.
Even when times are tough, these neighbors and local businesses prove that there is always room for generosity. For simple ways to keep your favorite businesses afloat, head to Nextdoor to see which businesses in your neighborhood are open for takeout and delivery or offering gift cards.
-The NwP Team
Photo by Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash
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