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Restaurants Find Hope in Delivering Donated Meals to Hospitals Restaurants Find Hope in Delivering Donated Meals to Hospitals
(2 months later)
Last week, a large order from a Twitter follower in Maryland gave the Harlem restaurant FieldTrip a crucial shot of revenue and, perhaps, a glimpse of a way to stay in business during the coronavirus pandemic.Last week, a large order from a Twitter follower in Maryland gave the Harlem restaurant FieldTrip a crucial shot of revenue and, perhaps, a glimpse of a way to stay in business during the coronavirus pandemic.
FieldTrip’s chef and owner, JJ Johnson, had taken to Twitter on Wednesday to say he had just packed and sent 40 rice bowls, his restaurant’s specialty, to the staff at Harlem Hospital Center. One of New York City’s official coronavirus testing sites, the hospital has been flooded, like so many others in the area, by new and suspected cases.FieldTrip’s chef and owner, JJ Johnson, had taken to Twitter on Wednesday to say he had just packed and sent 40 rice bowls, his restaurant’s specialty, to the staff at Harlem Hospital Center. One of New York City’s official coronavirus testing sites, the hospital has been flooded, like so many others in the area, by new and suspected cases.
In his tweet, Mr. Johnson had promised, “Each day will pick a hospital close by @fieldtripharlem to help out.” A few minutes later, the fan in Maryland bought 170 more bowls; Mr. Johnson sent half to Harlem the next day and half to Mount Sinai Hospital on Friday. The order kept FieldTrip busy enough that Mr. Johnson called two of his employees back to join the three others he had brought in earlier in the week as takeout and delivery business began to pick up.In his tweet, Mr. Johnson had promised, “Each day will pick a hospital close by @fieldtripharlem to help out.” A few minutes later, the fan in Maryland bought 170 more bowls; Mr. Johnson sent half to Harlem the next day and half to Mount Sinai Hospital on Friday. The order kept FieldTrip busy enough that Mr. Johnson called two of his employees back to join the three others he had brought in earlier in the week as takeout and delivery business began to pick up.
Before New York restaurants were ordered to close their dining rooms on March 15, FieldTrip had employed 10 people. “We’re at five now,” Mr. Johnson said, “which is 50 percent of the way there.”Before New York restaurants were ordered to close their dining rooms on March 15, FieldTrip had employed 10 people. “We’re at five now,” Mr. Johnson said, “which is 50 percent of the way there.”
Five employees. Eighty-five bowls of rice a day. These are small numbers in a country where, as of Monday, hundreds if not thousands of hospitals were treating nearly 142,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to a count by The New York Times.Five employees. Eighty-five bowls of rice a day. These are small numbers in a country where, as of Monday, hundreds if not thousands of hospitals were treating nearly 142,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to a count by The New York Times.
What has happened at Fieldtrip, though, is playing out at restaurants and hospitals around the country. Delivery orders for health care workers have begun coming in, ranging in ambition from bags of sandwiches paid for by small pledges on GoFundMe pages to multicourse meals subsidized by the philanthropic arms of major companies.What has happened at Fieldtrip, though, is playing out at restaurants and hospitals around the country. Delivery orders for health care workers have begun coming in, ranging in ambition from bags of sandwiches paid for by small pledges on GoFundMe pages to multicourse meals subsidized by the philanthropic arms of major companies.
Chefs say they are grateful for these new delivery routes. So are hospital administrators, who say their employees have been too busy to run out for coffee or even to place delivery orders.Chefs say they are grateful for these new delivery routes. So are hospital administrators, who say their employees have been too busy to run out for coffee or even to place delivery orders.
Neither group foresaw this surge in food donations two weeks ago, when it was still possible to believe that closing restaurant dining rooms might be enough to keep new coronavirus patients from overwhelming hospitals.Neither group foresaw this surge in food donations two weeks ago, when it was still possible to believe that closing restaurant dining rooms might be enough to keep new coronavirus patients from overwhelming hospitals.
That was before doctors began learning how to keep two patients alive on a single ventilator, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised health care workers who had run out of N95 masks that they might tie bandannas and scarves around their heads “as a last resort,” before nurses were cutting arm holes in plastic trash bags and wearing them instead of standard protective gear.That was before doctors began learning how to keep two patients alive on a single ventilator, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised health care workers who had run out of N95 masks that they might tie bandannas and scarves around their heads “as a last resort,” before nurses were cutting arm holes in plastic trash bags and wearing them instead of standard protective gear.
Hearing about all of this inside the homes where they have been ordered to stay, people have come together to send food to health care workers.Hearing about all of this inside the homes where they have been ordered to stay, people have come together to send food to health care workers.
There are small, neighborhood campaigns, like the members of a Windsor Terrace block association whom Martha Partridge has encouraged to sign up to bring meals to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital at the start of the late shift, when many restaurants favored by Methodist employees are now closed because of the pandemic.There are small, neighborhood campaigns, like the members of a Windsor Terrace block association whom Martha Partridge has encouraged to sign up to bring meals to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital at the start of the late shift, when many restaurants favored by Methodist employees are now closed because of the pandemic.
A week-old group called Queens Feeds Hospitals is making $1,000 purchases from restaurants and sending the food to hospitals around the borough. On Monday, boxed lunches from Ornella Trattoria, in Astoria, fed workers at Mount Sinai Queens. Pies from an Astoria pizzeria called Sac’s Place were planned for lunch on Tuesday at Elmhurst Hospital Center, a hot zone of coronavirus patients.A week-old group called Queens Feeds Hospitals is making $1,000 purchases from restaurants and sending the food to hospitals around the borough. On Monday, boxed lunches from Ornella Trattoria, in Astoria, fed workers at Mount Sinai Queens. Pies from an Astoria pizzeria called Sac’s Place were planned for lunch on Tuesday at Elmhurst Hospital Center, a hot zone of coronavirus patients.
Other projects span whole cities. An artist in New Orleans named Devin De Wulf is sending local hospitals an estimated $10,000 worth of food each day from more than 30 local restaurants, part of a campaign that he calls #feedthefrontline.Other projects span whole cities. An artist in New Orleans named Devin De Wulf is sending local hospitals an estimated $10,000 worth of food each day from more than 30 local restaurants, part of a campaign that he calls #feedthefrontline.
At least one initiative is global. In New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Oakland and Ventura County, Calif., the chef José Andrés has converted dormant restaurants, including several of his own, into commissaries for World Central Kitchen, his nonprofit disaster-relief group. As of this weekend, the commissaries had sent meals to workers at 10 medical centers, with more on the way, Mr. Andrés said.At least one initiative is global. In New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Oakland and Ventura County, Calif., the chef José Andrés has converted dormant restaurants, including several of his own, into commissaries for World Central Kitchen, his nonprofit disaster-relief group. As of this weekend, the commissaries had sent meals to workers at 10 medical centers, with more on the way, Mr. Andrés said.
A particularly well-funded version of the same idea has been running in Atlanta since Friday. The Atlanta Hawks basketball team and State Farm are paying two Westside restaurants, Miller Union and Forza Storico, to cook and pack complete dinners that can feed two people. The packages, 200 from each restaurant five days a week, are then parceled out to workers at the six hospitals in the Emory Healthcare network that are treating coronavirus patients.A particularly well-funded version of the same idea has been running in Atlanta since Friday. The Atlanta Hawks basketball team and State Farm are paying two Westside restaurants, Miller Union and Forza Storico, to cook and pack complete dinners that can feed two people. The packages, 200 from each restaurant five days a week, are then parceled out to workers at the six hospitals in the Emory Healthcare network that are treating coronavirus patients.
The idea, according to Dr. Bryce Gartland, the president of Emory Healthcare’s hospital group and its co-chief of clinical operations, is that employees can bring the food home with them at the end of their shifts, when supermarkets may be closed.The idea, according to Dr. Bryce Gartland, the president of Emory Healthcare’s hospital group and its co-chief of clinical operations, is that employees can bring the food home with them at the end of their shifts, when supermarkets may be closed.
Under normal conditions, Forza Storico is a Roman-style beer bar. Its menus for Emory workers retain an Italian cast. “Today we had pickled baby onions with mixed field greens and artichokes as a first course,” Michael Patrick, the chef and owner, said Friday. “Second course was an antipasto platter with housemade charcuterie. The third course today is a lasagna, classic lasagna, housemade, with veal-beef-pork Bolognese.”Under normal conditions, Forza Storico is a Roman-style beer bar. Its menus for Emory workers retain an Italian cast. “Today we had pickled baby onions with mixed field greens and artichokes as a first course,” Michael Patrick, the chef and owner, said Friday. “Second course was an antipasto platter with housemade charcuterie. The third course today is a lasagna, classic lasagna, housemade, with veal-beef-pork Bolognese.”
Any worker who hadn’t shown up for work expecting to be sent home with lasagna for two “can stick that thing in the freezer,” Mr. Patrick said. “We’re not doing any hoity-toity food. We’re getting down to brass tacks here, stuff that people know that’s familiar and comforting.”Any worker who hadn’t shown up for work expecting to be sent home with lasagna for two “can stick that thing in the freezer,” Mr. Patrick said. “We’re not doing any hoity-toity food. We’re getting down to brass tacks here, stuff that people know that’s familiar and comforting.”
Nonetheless, these brass-tacks dinners and those made by the chef Steven Satterfield’s crew at Miller Union start with ingredients raised by some of the region’s most highly regarded farmers. The purchases will restore some fraction of the income the restaurants lost when Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms closed Atlanta’s dining rooms on March 19.Nonetheless, these brass-tacks dinners and those made by the chef Steven Satterfield’s crew at Miller Union start with ingredients raised by some of the region’s most highly regarded farmers. The purchases will restore some fraction of the income the restaurants lost when Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms closed Atlanta’s dining rooms on March 19.
When Miller Union drew up its proposal, Mr. Satterfield said he stipulated that “we were going to put all our money into several farmers that were hurting just as much as we were.”When Miller Union drew up its proposal, Mr. Satterfield said he stipulated that “we were going to put all our money into several farmers that were hurting just as much as we were.”
Few of the ingredients that Ben Goldberg, the founder of the New York Food Truck Association, has been rounding up since last week are seasonal or local. Instead he is soliciting donations from nutrition-minded food companies for individually packaged snacks such as Core organic oat bars and bags of Pipcorn popcorn.Few of the ingredients that Ben Goldberg, the founder of the New York Food Truck Association, has been rounding up since last week are seasonal or local. Instead he is soliciting donations from nutrition-minded food companies for individually packaged snacks such as Core organic oat bars and bags of Pipcorn popcorn.
Twice a day starting Wednesday, if all goes according to plan, these and other snacks, along with gallons of hot and cold La Colombe coffee, will be given away to employees of NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan from a food truck parked across the street. Social distancing will be maintained by brightly colored tape on the pavement.Twice a day starting Wednesday, if all goes according to plan, these and other snacks, along with gallons of hot and cold La Colombe coffee, will be given away to employees of NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan from a food truck parked across the street. Social distancing will be maintained by brightly colored tape on the pavement.
Updated June 5, 2020
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.
Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
“Food trucks are taking very large hits,” Mr. Goldberg said.“Food trucks are taking very large hits,” Mr. Goldberg said.
Normally, the trucks in his association park on densely packed Manhattan blocks, selling Lebanese cuisine (a truck called Toum), Ethiopian and Eritrean food (Makina Cafe), certified Glatt kosher burgers (JJ’s Holy Cow) and other things to office workers. Since those blocks emptied out, most food trucks have stayed in the garage. The rental and labor fees the association is paying them to go to NYU Langone, financed in part by donations to Frontline Food Trucks, will be the first money some of the trucks’ owners have earned in at least two weeks.Normally, the trucks in his association park on densely packed Manhattan blocks, selling Lebanese cuisine (a truck called Toum), Ethiopian and Eritrean food (Makina Cafe), certified Glatt kosher burgers (JJ’s Holy Cow) and other things to office workers. Since those blocks emptied out, most food trucks have stayed in the garage. The rental and labor fees the association is paying them to go to NYU Langone, financed in part by donations to Frontline Food Trucks, will be the first money some of the trucks’ owners have earned in at least two weeks.
Although they won’t be serving their usual menus, the trucks will be helping health care administrators solve a logistical problem.Although they won’t be serving their usual menus, the trucks will be helping health care administrators solve a logistical problem.
“A lot of these hospitals get a ton of requests, but they’re not set up to be donation locations,” Mr. Goldberg said. “We can take some of those donations and put them on the truck.”“A lot of these hospitals get a ton of requests, but they’re not set up to be donation locations,” Mr. Goldberg said. “We can take some of those donations and put them on the truck.”
The association worked out the details with Stacey Chait, a senior director at NYU Langone, who said she has been getting about 100 emails a day with offers of food. “It’s really, really wonderful to be going through this crisis but have such an outpouring of support and understanding,” she said.The association worked out the details with Stacey Chait, a senior director at NYU Langone, who said she has been getting about 100 emails a day with offers of food. “It’s really, really wonderful to be going through this crisis but have such an outpouring of support and understanding,” she said.
Because it is cheap, familiar, portable and everywhere, pizza is probably the food most commonly sent during a crisis. It is not, however, ideally suited to this crisis, in which people have been urged to stay at least six feet away from one another.Because it is cheap, familiar, portable and everywhere, pizza is probably the food most commonly sent during a crisis. It is not, however, ideally suited to this crisis, in which people have been urged to stay at least six feet away from one another.
“Putting a bunch of pizza in a common break room and asking a bunch of people to come in there is not supportive of what we’re asking of them as far as social distancing,” said Dr. Gartland, the Emory Healthcare executive.“Putting a bunch of pizza in a common break room and asking a bunch of people to come in there is not supportive of what we’re asking of them as far as social distancing,” said Dr. Gartland, the Emory Healthcare executive.
The logistics of pizza distancing have become a familiar topic to Scott Wiener, a pizza historian and the founder of a company with the self-explanatory name Scott’s Pizza Tours. Since about a week ago, Mr. Wiener has helped arrange the delivery of more than 2,600 pizzas to 73 clinics, hospitals, shelters and other care centers affected by the outbreak.The logistics of pizza distancing have become a familiar topic to Scott Wiener, a pizza historian and the founder of a company with the self-explanatory name Scott’s Pizza Tours. Since about a week ago, Mr. Wiener has helped arrange the delivery of more than 2,600 pizzas to 73 clinics, hospitals, shelters and other care centers affected by the outbreak.
Donations, which by Sunday night had reached nearly $150,000, arrive through the website of his antihunger nonprofit group, Slice Out Hunger. A dozen or so volunteers there arrange for somebody at each care center to accept delivery of three to 50 plain cheese pies. Employees of Slice, an unrelated pizza-delivery app, then place the order with a local pizzeria, which must agree to follow specific anticoronavirus safety precautions.Donations, which by Sunday night had reached nearly $150,000, arrive through the website of his antihunger nonprofit group, Slice Out Hunger. A dozen or so volunteers there arrange for somebody at each care center to accept delivery of three to 50 plain cheese pies. Employees of Slice, an unrelated pizza-delivery app, then place the order with a local pizzeria, which must agree to follow specific anticoronavirus safety precautions.
One of the project’s aims is to support local businesses, and so independent pizzerias are preferred. “But today I ordered from a Pizza Hut because it was the only option,” Mr. Wiener said Sunday.One of the project’s aims is to support local businesses, and so independent pizzerias are preferred. “But today I ordered from a Pizza Hut because it was the only option,” Mr. Wiener said Sunday.
He conceded that it is challenging to deliver hot food to facilities that are all but sealed off to the world.He conceded that it is challenging to deliver hot food to facilities that are all but sealed off to the world.
“But it’s pretty sad that it’s easier for a hospital to get 50 pizzas than it is for them to get masks,” he said. “Sometimes the people we speak with on the phone open their hearts about what they’re dealing with. They’re so appreciative that people care enough to send them pizza.”“But it’s pretty sad that it’s easier for a hospital to get 50 pizzas than it is for them to get masks,” he said. “Sometimes the people we speak with on the phone open their hearts about what they’re dealing with. They’re so appreciative that people care enough to send them pizza.”
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