{"id":83979,"date":"2020-04-07T15:40:13","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T19:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=83979"},"modified":"2020-04-08T22:43:59","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T02:43:59","slug":"local-restaurants-provide-meals-for-frontline-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/local-restaurants-provide-meals-for-frontline-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Local restaurants provide meals for frontline workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Local restaurants have been working hard to make life a little easier for front line workers.<\/p>\n

“We are here to help as much as we can,” said Michelle Shabatura, owner of Farmer\u2019s Daughter. The Hwy 60 grocer and caf\u00e9 has been providing 200 meals to employees of Huntsville and District Memorial Hospital three times a week in an effort to make life for the valuable workers a little less stressful.<\/p>\n

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There have been a lot of offers to donate food for the hospital employees from individuals, but according to Katherine Craine, executive director of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, meals for the employees have to be made in a commercially inspected kitchen. And each meal has to be individually packaged.<\/p>\n

“We have the best facility to facilitate that,” said Shabatura, adding that the knowledge and expertise of her staff is very suited to the task. There are normally 25 staff at work. Currently there are six.<\/p>\n

While Shabatura is providing all the staff and donating a lot of the food, she said they are also reliant on donations from other local businesses. Moose Delaney\u2019s and Whimsical Bakery have provided product but the need is still there for others to step forward. “We need donations of potatoes, bread, meat, pasta, cheese, mayonnaise, eggs, anything,” she said. Even the packaging for all the meals is an expense. A donation jar at the front of the store allows individuals to make cash donations.<\/p>\n

Craine added they are also directing people inquiring how they can help to go the the Huntsville Hospital Foundation website and make a donation to the COVID-19 fund<\/a><\/span>. “We can\u2019t expect restaurants to provide 100 per cent of the donation,” she said.<\/p>\n

Shabatura said they are providing a sandwich and a salad all made from scratch, but nothing that needs to be heated. For example, a bean salad and egg salad sandwich was on the menu for one day, while another day was a selection of roast beef sandwiches and a potato salad.<\/p>\n

The Farmer\u2019s Daughter has been affected by COVID-19, as has every business. Her grocery business has remained open and Shabatura said her staff was really ahead of the game in terms of caution in this time of fear. “We limit the number of shoppers,” she said. “We have hand sanitizer at the door and gloves if people want them. Carts are left by the cash and wiped down and social distancing is in place.”<\/p>\n

In addition, the store has provided a private shopping experience. People can book a span of 15 minutes for two people to enter the store and shop alone.<\/p>\n

“It has been very popular,” she said. “We started it about a week ago and it is really coming together.”<\/p>\n

The store had also been working on a website for a year, which came together two weeks ago, for people to go online and make an order for delivery or pick up.<\/p>\n

The Farmer\u2019s Daughter and the Huntsville Hospital Foundation were working together long before the pandemic began. Every Friday, $2 of every coffee and muffin purchase went to the foundation. So when the need for meals occurred, they did not hesitate to step in.<\/p>\n

The staff at the hospital are extremely grateful for the donation of food, Crane said. “It is one less thing they have to worry about,” she said of knowing they don\u2019t have to pack a lunch when heading to work. She added it also provides peace of mind for the staff knowing the community is thinking about them and want them to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

Pita Pit and Tim Hortons have also provided meal donations for hospital workers, and Comfort Bakeshop has provided individually wrapped cookies.<\/p>\n\n\t\t