Health care professionals and first responders in metropolitan New York and Boston are getting a chance to take a break and eat as they treat coronavirus patients thanks in part to a donation from Stop & Shop.
The Northeastern grocer late last week kicked off a program to supply 5,000 fresh meals daily to hospitals in both metro areas, which are among the nation’s hardest-hit by COVID-19. New York City has reported about 75,000 coronavirus cases and more than 3,500 deaths, while Boston has seen its COVID-19 case total top 15,000 and the number of deaths exceed 350.
Food donations from Stop & Shop include sandwiches, salads and prepackaged entrees, as well as energy and nutrition bars to give health workers a quick meal option.
Meals will be provided every day to Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem, N.Y. (Manhattan); Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside, N.Y. (Long Island);
Long Island Community Hospital in Suffolk County, N.Y.; Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, N.J.; Boston Medical Center; and Boston Children’s Hospital.
“Mount Sinai is grateful to Stop & Shop and other business partners who are joining us in this fight against this pandemic. The donations will ensure our frontline nurses, physicians and support staff have nutritious food to keep going during this very difficult time,” said Patricia Lamb, chief of ancillary and support services for the New York-based Mount Sinai Health System. “We thank you for supporting our community as we work to save as many lives as possible during this crisis.”
Stop & Shop said it will cover all costs and use its “substantial food production capacity and extensive regional delivery network” to supply the meals and snacks. Overall, the Quincy, Mass.-based chain operates more than 400 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.
“Medical first responders are doing incredible work in extremely trying conditions to keep our communities safe, and we are honored to have this opportunity to help,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement.
“We hope these meals will help in filling an essential need for local healthcare heroes in the days ahead,” he added. “We also hope that other food retailers and suppliers will do what they can to expand free meals at hospitals across this region and around the country.”
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