FILLING THE SHELVES
Lindsay Smith , chef and owner of Nirvana Grille in Laguna Beach , had noticed the grocery shelves were practically empty in the beginning of the pandemic , so she put out a message on Facebook telling the community that if people were having trouble getting certain items , she was happy to help by starting a co-op at the restaurant . “ I was flooded with 250 messages and 2,000 people shared it . A lot of people wanted to get on the list ,” she says . Smith got to work speaking to her vendors about what was available , and with her assistant , set up an online store on Shopify , which was live within a few days .
While originally fulfilling orders in 24 hours , they are now able to prepare them for same-day pickup if ordered by 2 p . m . “ Popular items have been yeast , flour , blueberries , heirloom tomatoes , baby romaine lettuce , broccolini , Brussels sprouts , zucchini , avocado , canned beans , fresh pastas , 2 % milk , eggs , our meats such as 12 chicken breasts , rack of lamb , filets , crabcakes , grass-fed meatballs , salmon , … swordfish and prawns ,” Smith says . Staples such as toilet paper , paper towels , handmade masks from Tight Assets , bleach powder for cleaning and Nirvana ’ s own handmade sanitizer are also available . Even though the restaurant has reopened , curbside pickup remains with three designated parking spots , and a whole station with refrigeration and to-go orders . “ We ’ ll keep the co-op as long as there is a need ,” Smith says . ( nirvanagrille . com )
FEEDING FRONTLINE AND HOSPITALITY WORKERS
Partnering with Frontline Foods OC — a national effort started by a pediatric nurse in San Francisco to support local restaurants that have been impacted by shelterin-place measures while feeding healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic — a group of Newport Beach restaurants raised over $ 3,500 in just four days to feed approximately 500 healthcare workers at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach and UCI Health . Avila ’ s El Ranchito , Olea Newport Beach and Bear Flag Fish Co . are among the Newport Beach restaurants that teamed up with Frontline Foods OC to bring food to the frontline staff . In addition , Juice Mi launched a GoFundMe campaign and JuiceMi Grams for the public to donate to or purchase bundles of coffee , juices , wellness shots and acai bowls to send to frontline Hoag Hospital staff . ( frontlinefoods . org )
REACHING OUT TO SENIORS IN NEED
Laguna-based senior outreach program Sally ’ s Fund delivered hundreds of bags of food from the Laguna Food Pantry to the community ’ s most vulnerable seniors . According to Laguna Food Pantry Executive Director Anne Belyea , pantry volunteers have not only been working with Sally ’ s Fund to deliver food to seniors , but also with the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver food to military vets . “ Without a doubt , there is more of a need now ,” she says . “ Up to 220 people come [ to the pantry ] in a 2 ½-hour period ; we were averaging 100 to 120 before the outbreak , but because people who were already struggling are out of work , sheltering in place and afraid to go out and grocery shop , we have a lot more in need .”
Since the pandemic began , the food pantry has been distributing dry , pre-bagged and pre-boxed goods in the parking lot in a drive-through system so customers don ’ t need to get out of their cars . “ Just recently , we started a new program with farmers from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program through the USDA who are working to provide magnificent produce , not rescued items ,” Belyea says . Rescued food means items from grocery stores that are overstocked , aren ’ t selling well or are nearing their expiration dates . ( lagunafoodpantry . org )
Avila ’ s El Ranchito bringing food to frontline workers .
PACIFICCOASTMAG . COM PACIFIC COAST 5