The effort to salute healthcare professionals and help local restaurants continues from young individuals to longtime community organizations. Here are a couple of those rolling up their sleeves to provide meals for area heroes/heroines that you might want to support:
Serve Our Heroes
In addition to taking classes online, four teenagers (Catherine Dedman, Celese Gierhart, Morgan Lutz and Nancy Dedman) have come together to “support those caring for our veterans and support restaurants partners” by creating Serve Our Heroes.
According to Celese, “Everyone who works in a Veterans Affairs hospital – from doctors and nurses to front office staff and janitorial teams – is currently putting their lives at risk to save those who have served our country. We started Serve Our Heroes to support them in the best way we know possible – through warm meals and encouragement. Through its global devastation, coronavirus has created an opportunity for everyone to support each other in this time of great need. With our organization, we are able to support VA hospital workers, the veterans they serve and restaurants that are vital to our community. Catherine, Morgan, Nancy and I are doing our best to make a difference where we can, and we hope we can raise enough money to make a larger impact across the state.”
Since Friday, April 10, they’ve been doing daily deliveries of 750 meals to the Dallas VA Medical Center in South Dallas from such restaurants as Dive Coastal Cuisine, Bandito’s Tex Mex Cantina, Wendy Krispin Catering, Katy Trail Ice House, Cassandra Fine Catering, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop. Once the newly announced VA health facility in Garland opens, the quartet will add it to their list.
According to Dallas Veterans Affairs Hospital Voluntary Service Specialist James Calhoun, “We are so thankful for Serve Our Heroes’ commitment to the veteran and medical communities here in Dallas. Our entire staff has been working day and night to take care of our community’s veterans during this global pandemic, and it is so comforting knowing that the community also wants to take care of us by providing warm meals straight to our teams while they are working.”
Since the undertaking depends on funding, you’re invited to be young at heart and help those caring for veterans by donating here.
Serving Up Gratitude
With the assistance of the American Jewish Committee’s Community of Conscience, and with the financial support of several foundations, corporations and individual donors, The Thanks-Giving Foundation has undertaken Serving Up Gratitude “to raise at least $250,000 to benefit the restaurant industry and provide 25,000 meals to healthcare workers” thru Sunday, June 7.
According to The Thanks-Giving Foundation President/CEO Kyle Ogden, “In coordination with local restaurants and volunteers, Serving Up Gratitude will first provide meals for Parkland Hospital’s emergency room and intensive care unit workers, with plans to expand quickly to other area hospitals and frontline groups, including first responders. Snuffer’s Restaurant and Bar, Pecan Lodge, Ojeda’s Tex-Mex Restaurants, Campisi’s Restaurants and The Market at Bonton Farms are the first participating restaurants, providing a total of 250 meals to the hospital on April 7.”
The plan calls for a minimum of 25 $10-meals per restaurant per order to be placed with restaurants in the program “to spread the business around. Orders will be placed the day before needed, and we will pay for the meals the same day (credit card) or the next day (check).”
Area restaurants, volunteers and donors are encouraged to join the program by signing up here.
* Photo provided by Serve Our Heroes ** Graphic courtesy of The Thanks-Giving Foundation