In the year since the COVID-19 pandemic shook up life as we know it, doctors, nurses, first responders, hospital staff and health professionals around the world have shown great tenacity and dedication to battling the virus.
By the end of February, over 500,000 Americans lost their lives to COVID-19. In Virginia, there have been 449,000 confirmed cases, over 22,500 hospitalizations and well over 6,500 deaths.
Without a solid “end” in sight, and vaccination centers beginning to pop up, REC took action to support medical professionals. Throughout February, REC donated over 1,000 meals to eleven hospitals across the Cooperative’s service area.
“Working with other businesses, like REC, to make those donations is incredibly satisfying,” said Johnny Garver, Jr., co-owner of Pronto! Pasta, who delivered 80 meals to the University of Virginia Health System. “We’ve provided meals to the COVID-19 unit throughout the pandemic, but partnering with REC to give back to the community was a joyful experience.”
“This project impacted the community two-fold: by supporting locally operated restaurants and by providing meals to those who are working to keep our communities safe,” said Olivia Landry, owner of Jordan Springs Market, who provided meals to Winchester Medical Center. “During this pandemic, it’s incredibly important that we take care of each other, and this spoke to that on many levels.”
In addition to the meals, REC donated large and small hand sanitizers and gift cards to Costco and B.J.’s Warehouse for staff to get snacks and supplies.
“The delivery was really fantastic,” said Jennifer Michaelis, co-owner of DeFazio’s Catering, who delivered to Memorial Regional Hospital in Mechanicsville. “They were so appreciative and couldn’t stop saying thank you. You could really see how thankful they were.”
Echoing Michaelis, Landry said, “The look on the nurses’ faces when we dropped off the food was just incredible, it meant a lot to all of us involved.”
Hospitals delivered to:
- Spotsylvania Medical Center
- Memorial Regional Hospital
- Henrico Doctors Hospital
- Mary Washington Hospital
- Winchester Medical Center
- Warren Memorial Hospital
- Martha Jefferson Hospital
- University of Virginia Health System
- Novant Health UVA Medical Center
- Stafford Hospital
