The Feeding the Frontliners initiative, which was launched in early May
to provide meals for frontline personnel working to protect Lebanon County and
its residents during the Covid-19 pandemic, has concluded, with its last meal
delivery being made last week. The effort, which was funded with $30,000 in
room tax revenues allocated by the Lebanon County Commissioners, was also
intended to provide a boost to restaurants, delis and other eateries throughout
the County that were hard-hit due to the requirement that they close for
several months at the start of the pandemic.
Over
the seven weeks of the Feeding the Frontliners effort, 2,465 meals, dessert
treats or gift cards were delivered by volunteers to frontline staff in
hospitals, nursing homes, EMT locations and other key organizations and
facilities throughout the County. These deliveries were made by a team of
fifteen volunteers to 32 frontline facilities throughout the County, with the
meals, desserts and gift cards purchased from 31 different restaurants, delis,
bakeries and other specialty food retailers in all parts of the County. A
number of these eateries were used several times to help ensure that the
purchases were spread as equitably as possible among these businesses.
Of
the $30,000 in room tax funding provided by the County Commissioners for Feeding
the Frontliners, approximately $27,940 was utilized for this effort. The
balance of the funds not used during the initiative is being returned to the
County.
The
Feeding the Frontliners project was spearheaded by Lebanon Family Health
Services, which served as the financial arm for the initiative, and the United
Way of Lebanon County, which coordinated the volunteer pick-up and delivery of
all the meals and gift cards from the eateries to the frontline facilities.
Also supporting this initiative were the Community of Lebanon Association,
Downtown Lebanon, the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visit Lebanon
Valley.
Kim
Kreider-Umble, President & CEO of Lebanon Family Health Services, stated at
the time of the Feeding the Frontliners’ launch that the goal of this initiative was “to recognize and thank some of our community’s heroes who are on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus, as well as supporting the restaurants in our community at a very difficult time.” With the campaign now concluded, she expressed the project steering committee “belief that these goals were pretty well achieved, thanks in large part to the financial support provided by the Commissioners and the involvement of a dedicated group of volunteers.”
