How One LI City Restaurant Donated Meals To Jamaica Nursing Home

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo addresses New Yorkers daily keeping the people of New York State up-to-date on the outbreak of COVID-19, he points out the grim numbers and trends, but he also speaks of the heroes during this war against the coronavirus. In addition to the many health care workers who risk their lives everyday, there are many other non-clinical businesses who are lending a hand. One such business is a restaurant right here in Long Island City called, Blend On The Water, which is located on Center Boulevard. The highly-rated popular restaurant that serves all kinds of Latin American foods, overlooking the East River into Manhattan, had closed its doors temporarily due to COVID-19 as they want their staff and customers to be safe.

On April 8, co-owner Michael Delgado informed his staff that the next day by noon, they will be donating 120 meals for the front line clinical staff at Holliswood Center, the 240-bed nursing and rehabilitation facility in Jamaica. Mr. Delgado had been in conversation with a close business associate and friend, Franklin Segura, the Vice-President of Managed Care at Centers Health Care, the Bronx-based parent company of Holliswood Center about offering to do this donation.

"Frank is a good friend, but we always loved donating to the medical staff in our city," says Delgado. "It is our way of thanking them for their hard work they do day in and day out. In times like these, it's the least we can do for them."

The nursing staff at Holliswood Center are committed to their residents, working hard around the clock to make sure their residents are healthy during this pandemic. When they received the meals on April 9, they were incredibly thankful.

"What an incredible and beautiful gesture this was," said AnnMarie Ramos, Director of Nursing at Holliswood Center. "In addition to the food being delicious, how they were donated as personal individual safe meals, Blend understood what we are up against. They made it very easy for our staff who are always on the go with the patients, can easily eat and enjoy the taste at the same time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Mr. Delgado and his associates are no strangers to making donations like this. He and his seven other business partners who own two other Queens establishments, Blend Astoria and Blend Long Island City, have set up a generous matching campaign during this crisis. On their Instagram page, the Blend restaurants will match every meal donation to anyone who donates food to a local hospital. Michael and his partners continuously donate to most of all of the city's major hospitals and nursing homes.