Community Corner
Restaurants, Volunteers Help Feed Howard County Hospital Workers
The community has helped raise money to pay restaurants to fix and deliver food to those on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Health-care workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic face long, grueling days. They are worried about carrying the virus home to loved ones and saving the lives of those who see their help. The last thing they need to worry about is where they're going to get lunch or dinner, if they even have time to pause long enough to eat.
To help the medical professionals at Howard County General Hospital, restaurants are providing meals three times a week to the employees, and volunteers are stepping up to help deliver them. Sharon Sopp, spokesperson for the hospital, said Elizabeth Edsall Kromm, vice president of population health and advancement for the Howard Hospital Foundation, had the idea to hold a fundraiser to generate the money to pay local restaurants to fix meals. Restaurants also have been hit hard by the new coronavirus.
"The arrangement is really a win-win-win. Our community members can show their support of our staff by contributing to the fund, the local restaurants get some business and our staff receive delicious meals," Sopp told Patch.
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As of March 31, $90,000 had been donated from 577 people. More than 4,000 meals had been prepared and served to the staff and medical professionals at the hospitals as of March 31.
"It truly is an amazing response and we are so thankful to our wonderful, generous community. Meals are provided to the entire hospital staff — doctors, nurses, housekeeping, security, techs, pharmacy—at a cost of about $9,000 per day. The meals are provided three days a week, so we need our community to keep giving so that we can sustain the program throughout the crisis," said Sopp.
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Local restaurant owner Desmond “Des” Reilly told Patch that he has delivered hundreds of meals to the hospital. The concept has been warmly embraced by restaurants who are struggling to stay open and have had to lay off 264 employees among its four locations. Reilly and his two business partners Stuart Damon and Kristopher Carr own The Walrus Oyster & Ale House, a business they started from the ground floor up that is located at the mall in Columbia. The trio formed Star Restaurant Group and together own four restaurants including The Walrus Oyster & Ale House in National Harbor and Doi Moi and Chicken + Whiskey in Washington, D.C.
Reilly lives in Clarksville with his wife and two kids, and isn't allowing himself to be paid during this time so that he can make sure his skeleton staff is being paid for helping out the hospital.
"We're out here in the community and they're in there fighting the coronavirus. We wanted to help them out however we could," he said. "I have a crew of six working long hours to keep the kitchen going in Columbia, everyone has taken a pay cut and I'm working as the delivery guy for the hospital. I'm trying to cover our employees' insurance as long as we can and letting people use their vacation pay during this time. We want to be as helpful as we can to everyone and engage in the community in this fight. I've shown my employees what they're doing to help through photos I've taken and they keep working their butts off for the hospital staff. This all inspires me."
Reilly has treated hospital staff to made-from-scratch crab cakes, burgers and grilled salmon in the hopes of providing something different menu-wise.
"They've even said that it made their day," he said.
Angie Divljan, an agent with State Farm Insurance and Howard County native, has been helping family-owned Hudson Coastal to deliver food to the hospital. Divljan delivered all three of her children at the hospital and felt the pull to help however she could. Hospital staffers also cared for a family member and her daughter when they were seriously ill.
“They have always been there for our community and we feel like this is our chance as business owners to work together and give back to our community. These individually packed lunches are only a small token of an immense amount of appreciation for all their efforts, dedication and sacrifices during these challenging times," Divljan told Patch. "When our stability and sense of balance is threatened we immediately panic. More so when it has to do with our own mortality and that of our family. With this outbreak we immediately look to protect our own, we keep our children home and do everything possible to eliminate the risk of infection by working from home. Medical professionals however, are currently out there working on the front lines of this worldwide pandemic looking to protect others and save lives."
Divljan initially contacted a friend who works at the hospital to see how she could help. She learned about the need to feed the employees, then reached out to Trician Hudson with Hudson Coastal to see if she could help.
"Tricia immediately responded filled with the same enthusiasm to support the medical professionals at HCGH. The willingness of small business owners to work together in supporting our community during these unprecedented times has been remarkable," she said.
To learn about how you can help support the meals for hospital employees, visit here or State Farm's site with additional volunteer opportunities.
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