knew in Pittsburgh with this idea to
create a website that would be a list of
restaurants that were seeking donations,
and a list of hospitals that were inviting
donated deliveries.”
While Kelly and her team of volunteers
were organizing, they learned about
Frontline Foods, which had launched in San
Francisco the week of March 16. The group
was impressed with the way Frontline was
tackling the problem, and inspired by the
organization’s partnership with chef José
Andrés’ crisis response nonprofit, World
Central Kitchen.
“We decided it was a good idea to hitch
our wagon to a larger effort, rather than
competing or potentially diluting the effort
by trying to ‘go it alone,’” Kelly says. “We
knew we could have more impact, because
the World Central Kitchen partnership
means literally every dollar that is donated
is tax-deductible and goes directly into
Pittsburgh restaurants.”
The group launched the Pittsburgh
chapter of Frontline Foods on
April 1. As of press time, the all-volunteer
organization—with members from all
areas that surround the Greater Pittsburgh
area—had served more than 2,000 meals to
workers at nearly a dozen local hospitals.
“Without a doubt, Pittsburgh has some
of the finest hospital systems in the entire
country, so we’ve been kept plenty busy
just fueling Allegheny Health Network
and UPMC hospitals,” Kelly adds. “We
have incredible partners in both of those
organizations who have helped run ‘air
traffic control’ to ensure the meals are
distributed based on need and in an
equitable way. All hospitals in Allegheny
County are on the front line of the
COVID-19 crisis, and we’ve been trying to
serve as many of them as consistently as our
fundraising allows.”
It’s important to note that Frontline
Foods is not just serving clinicians. Rather,
it is also sending meals to lab technicians,
testing sites, and custodial crews who clean
the hospitals.
“All of them are vital parts of this
ecosystem and deserve to be recognized,”
Kelly says.
The meals are coming from restaurants
all over the city, making up what she calls a
broad cross-section of the Pittsburgh food
scene.
“We’re working with local and
independently owned restaurants that truly
comprise the cultural fabric of this city, and
these are restaurants that already have an
incredible track record of giving back to the
community,” she says.
One of those restaurants is Salúd Juicery,
which had already been donating smoothies
to health care workers in the Oakland area.
In the third week of donating, owners
Sheronica and Mayan Marshall met Kelly,
and began to partner with Frontline Foods.
“An idea that started with a conversation
between three friends blossomed into a
partnership with Frontline Foods,” says
Sheronica. “We believe there is a blessing
in community, Psalm 133, and we’re
honored to serve along Frontline Foods in
Pittsburgh.”
Salúd Juicery has been delivering a variety
of three juices to health care workers,
including a green juice called “Smiling
Irish,” a fruit juice called “Jane Goodall,” and
a pomegranate-based juice called “Pom chacha.”
To date, the team has delivered more
than 450 fresh-pressed juices to local health
care workers.
“These three juices were selected because
they provide the health benefits of energy,
mental focus and immunity, plus they pair
very well with brunch,” explains Sheronica.
“Our team of three at Salúd Juicery in
Oakland is grateful for this opportunity to
give back to our community!”
Above & Beyond Catering, based in
the South Hills, also is contributing to the
fight. To date, owners Nicole Payne and
Monica Ruvolo have delivered 250 healthconscious,
culturally diverse meals to local
health care workers.
“We’re trying to provide healthy, flavorful
meals to the hospitals that are a little
different from the typical ‘take-out’ routine,”
says Ruvolo. “Playing a part in providing
meals to all of the medical personnel
working on the front lines is the most
rewarding part of this experience.”
“All of our interactions with the folks
at Frontline have been so positive,” adds
Payne. “They truly are a wonderful group
of people and it shows with all of the work
they’re doing for our community. We
couldn’t be happier to be working with
them on this project.”
Frontline Foods asks that the donated
meals be healthy and nourishing.
Restaurants typically provide a complete
meal of a protein, starch and vegetable,
and 30 percent of the order is vegetarian,
says Kelly.
“The last thing we need is our health
care workers crashing during their shift,”
she explains. “These are restaurant-quality
meals that any of us would be glad to have
in front of us.”
Kelly adds that the utmost attention
is given to safety while preparing and
packaging the meals. Restaurants are
asked to conduct health screenings of
employees before they begin to prepare
food. Meals are cooked to temperature,
packaged into individual single-serving
containers, and then refrigerated so that
they can be reheated at the convenience of
the health care workers.
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic
begins to wane, the group will stay
focused on the mission of feeding heroes
on the front line while at the same time
supporting local restaurants.
“We can’t really see far ahead enough
into a post-COVID-19 world to know for
certain,” Kelly explains. “But what we do
know is that the economic ramifications
of this crisis may be with us for much
longer than the disease itself, and the need
on the restaurant side is not going away
any time soon.
“We wish we could throw a life
preserver to every single restaurant that
reaches out to us,” she adds. “We wish
we could feed every health care worker
in Allegheny County every meal every
day, because these people deserve infinite
appreciation for the risk they’ve taken on
in their profession.”
Anyone who is interested in
contributing to Frontline Foods can visit
frontlinefoods.org/Pittsburgh to
learn more. n
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