There’s a lot to be thankful for this May!

Can you believe that two months ago, we were still living relatively normally? It was only two months ago that we found out about the severity of the new coronavirus making its way to the United States. It’s only been two months that we’ve dealt with the repercussions of COVID-19 in our lives and our businesses. Sometimes, it feels more like a lifetime than two months.

However, we’re here to bring you some positive news. Our community has been beyond amazing in the way that people have looked out for each other, found ways to provide for each other, and used creativity to solve completely brand-new problems. So, we want to pay homage to our community in this month’s post. We’re proud to be North Carolinians who know that we are only ever as strong as our neighbors.

Let’s shout out our heroes!

Individuals Who Have Gone Above and Beyond

• Raleigh native Amy Schiller is using her singer-songwriter talents to shout out and celebrate healthcare workers who have gone above and beyond to keep their communities safe. Her brand new song and music video, “Hero to Me,” is a message of support and gratitude for her community. The Berklee College of Music sophomore is raising funds for the UNC Health Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund.
• Charlotte, NC pharmacist, Harry Patel, started making masks with his family to provide to at-risk seniors. Others in his community noticed his family’s work and asked to get involved. Now, they have a small army of volunteers who are working hard to make sure seniors have what they need to stay safe.

Restaurants That Are Donating Meals

• Although St. Roch, a New Orleans-esque seafood restaurant in downtown Raleigh, is down to a single person operating business due to the crisis, it hasn’t stopped them from doing what they can. Chef and owner Sunny Gerhart is working 7 days a week to provide meals for takeout orders. In addition to continuing to drive sales in the only way he can, he’s also been preparing and donating meals for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. If you’re in the Raleigh area, be sure to look into supporting St. Roch so they can spring back better than ever once restaurants reopen!
• Makus Empanadas in Durham is also going above and beyond! They have started a “Pay It Forward Initiative” in which for every dozen empanadas a customer purchases, they will include another dozen in the order for free. The idea is that the customer will then donate their extra dozen to a member of the community in need– healthcare workers, elderly, and any other individuals who are at-risk.
• Like St. Roch, Raleigh’s Ole Time Barbecue has faced uncertain times due to COVID-19. They have been forced to make tough decisions and to cut staff. This hasn’t stopped them from lending a helping hand where they’re able, though. Staff have been donating eggs from their own personal chicken coop, preparing meals for frontline workers, and running a “pay it forward program” in which customers can donate a meal to someone in need.

Organizations Who Answered the Call

• The North Carolina Healthcare Association has started their “Feeding the Soul” initiative in which they are continuing to build partnerships with local restaurants in an effort to thank and comfort healthcare heroes and frontline workers who are tirelessly caring for patients during this time.
• NC Realtors are working hard to provide free online resources for real estate agents who are finding that the way they work has been entirely turned on its head! Their Facebook page has plenty of webinars, resources, and chances to network so that agents don’t feel lost during this time and are able to keep a productive business going!
• Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has partnered with several local companies and organizations to make sure that nobody goes hungry during this time due to loss of resources. They are helping to keep kids who relied on school lunches fed by partnering with school nutrition teams and are offering full hot meals to families in need. They are currently partnered with over 100 local organizations and have provided meals for around 60,000 individuals a month!! They continue to ask for donations, both monetary and in-kind.
• On Mother’s Day, The Sunday Supper invited individuals to share a photo of their Mother’s Day meals on social media. For every post, they pledged to donate $1 to The North Carolina Restaurant Workers Relief Fund after already donating $10,000 to the fund previously. With how many of our awesome community members are out of work due to restaurants closing, this is GREAT news!

Until Next Time

That’s all for now! We wish we could take the time to write a 20-page essay on all the ways our community has been stepping up over the past two months! This article only begins to skim the surface. If you know of other similar stories, be sure to share them with your friends, families, and peers! We all need more GOOD NEWS during this time!

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We continue to be here for you in whatever ways we can. Much love

❤️

 

 

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