Health care workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis are working long, difficult and emotional shifts.
As they put others first, it's easy to lose track of their own well-being and their hunger!
That's why a new, local non-profit is working to keep those people fed and energized.
Feed the Front Line raises money to buy take-out food from local restaurants -- giving those businesses an income – then, volunteers deliver free meals to hardworking health care professionals at local hospitals.
“It’s been amazing to see how the community has rallied around us and has been able to donate the funds so that Feed the Front Line can pay restaurants to prepare and deliver these meals to very deserving, tired and overworked healthcare workers,” said 23-year old Jacqueline Gottuso, vice president of Feed the Front Line Dallas, who has worked in restaurants since high school.
The group started from the ground up just three weeks ago on March 20.
"A group of friends and co-workers got together and we were all feeling a little bit helpless about the situation. And just not knowing how we could do our part,” said Gottuso.
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Feed the Front Line was able to quickly become a 501(c)3-filed Texas non-profit corporation through the help of a lawyer pro-bono. In this short amount of time, it’s already got the ball rolling across Texas, bringing more than 3,000 meals to doctors, nurses and other medical personnel in hard-hit areas like Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
The volunteers are made up of young, healthy people who are eager and willing to help, as their operation continues to expand across North Texas. The group is in the process of launching local chapters in Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte this week.
"It's really important right now – with so many people are struggling and so many people are feeling dejected -- that we ban together as a community,” said Gottuso.
If you would like to get involved or donate to the meal fund, go to www.ftfl.org.
