For busy doctors and nurses on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus, a free bagged lunch or dinner means one less thing to worry about while confronting a massive public health crisis. For chefs in Baltimore and across the country, the meals have also meant a new lifeline for a struggling restaurant industry.
A growing number of local eateries are using their kitchens to prepare hundreds of meals a day for health care workers, first responders and other community members in need. Many of the programs are funded by individual donations, corporate partners and philanthropic organizations, channeling the public’s desire to help into initiatives structured to support caretakers and restaurants alike. On Wednesday, the Corner Pantry became the latest eatery to send a van-full of bagged lunches to area hospital workers. The North Baltimore cafe is partnering with the Josie King Foundation to pack up a total of 425 meals a week, which then head off to area hospitals including the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center. The initiative got its start after longtime Corner Pantry customer Sorrel King, the president of the Josie King Foundation, called the cafe to ask if they could produce some 200 bagged lunches a day.
