Chefs of Bell Market in Bell Works have been serving hundreds of meals daily to first responders and frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Allison Perrine
Two River area residents continue to support local restaurants and small businesses as COVID-19 spreads throughout communities all over the country and social distancing guidelines prevent businesses from operating as usual.
And now, several of those restaurants are giving back to the frontline health care and emergency response workers selflessly caring for others during this unprecedented time.
In Red Bank, Amy Russo, owner of Toast Red Bank, has organized a “front line appreciation group” – FLAG of Red Bank on GoFundMe – to raise money for health care professionals, especially emergency room and intensive care unit staff at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank and Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. Funds will also support Red Bank’s first responders, police, fire and others.
“These meals will be sourced by local restaurants and paid by these donations to cover staff and food costs during this crisis,” Russo posted on her GoFundMe page, established April 3. So far, nearly $5,000 has been donated toward the $15,000 goal.
In Sea Bright, Woody’s Ocean Grille has provided lunch for Monmouth Medical staff with the sponsorship of Builders General. Restaurant representatives have also sent care packages to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, for night shift nurses who may not have had any food donations with restaurants closing at curfew.
The packages were sent April 8 and included 6 quarts of mac and cheese, 2 quarts of pulled pork with rolls, four boxes of wings, 2 quarts of guacamole with six bags of chips, four boxes of chicken quesadillas, 12 orders of Reese’s cookies and 10 brownies.
And in Holmdel, chefs from the Bell Market in Bell Works are getting involved as well. According to Mayor Greg Buontempo, the chefs prepare about 500 meals daily and deliver the food to frontline health care workers and emergency personnel. Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday when the drive-up COVID-19 testing site at PNC Bank Arts Center is open, they deliver the meals to test site workers. During the other days of the week, deliveries go to hospitals and township emergency staff.
“We are blessed to have such caring people working and living in our community,” said Buontempo, adding that it is “greatly” improving morale in town.
To continue feeding these frontline workers, the Bell Works team created a “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” Go-FundMe page to raise funds for supplies and groceries. It was organized by Bell Works’ creative director Paola Zamudio and her team at NPZ Style & Décor. The goal is to raise $100,000. So far, it has received over $38,000 in donations – $36,000 of which was raised in the first week. It was created March 27.
“I would like anyone who is considering making a donation to know that the support is truly having an impact on all those working the front line,” said Buontempo. “To those that have already given, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
This article originally appeared in the April 16th, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
