BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Food for the Frontline is working to assist local restaurants and healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
After gathering donations from the community and partnering with local restaurants, the group is set to deliver meals to healthcare workers at several Bakersfield hospitals this week.
"I see a lot of our customers that are impacted by COVID-19," said George Hay, Marketing Director at Jim Burke Ford Lincoln and a co-creator of Food for the Frontline. "This was an opportunity for us to reach out to some of those businesses, some of those employees that don't necessarily have income at the moment."
Hay said after seeing what the community is going through with COVID-19, he wanted to give people the chance to help. By working with the Kern Community Foundation, Food for the Frontline is able to provide meals to Kern County emergency room staff prepared by local restaurants.
The first of those deliveries was made this past Friday.
"It was awesome," said Sharlet Briggs, President for Adventist Health Bakersfield. "Our team felt so blessed by having the community think of them."
Food for the Frontline teamed with Jake’s Tex Mex on their first delivery to Adventist Health.
"When the food was brought in, a nurse said, 'I can't believe that the community cares for us so much that they did this," Briggs said.
Now Food for the Frontline is scheduled to delivered to hospitals throughout the rest of the week.
On Tueday they delivered to Memorial Hospital meals from Donna Kaye’s Café and KC Steakhouse Delivery. On Thursday they will deliver to Marcy Hospital Downtown meals from Substation California Ave and deliver to Mercy Southwest Hospital meals from Chef Lino’s Grill.
For more information about how you can get involved or donate, click here.