How and Where to Get and Give Free Meals for Frontliners
Rhode Island businesses are helping by giving back to workers on the frontline, medical staffers and first responders.
India restaurant on Hope Street in Providence is offering free meals to frontliners. Photo from India’s Facebook page.
All over the state, Rhode Island businesses are helping by giving back to workers on the frontline; medical staffers and first responders who are saving lives in our hospitals and in our homes. If you’d like to contribute by providing free meals for healthcare personnel, firefighters and police, consider donating to the various fundraising campaigns or businesses below and spread the word about their services! Or, if you are a frontliner yourself, you can also seek out a few of these establishments for a free or discounted meal.
India Restaurant has been offering free healthy takeout to emergency and healthcare workers, available for pickup anytime between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Through their efforts, they have served more than 600 free meals within the past two weeks, and they continue to provide the meals daily. 1060 Hope St., Providence, 401-278-2000, indiarestaurant.com
The Martucci Group gives soup to frontliners.
The East Greenwich family of restaurants, the Martucci Group, is offering SOUP-ORT, which involves quarts of their famous Italian Wedding Soup for only $1 for healthcare workers and their families, first responders and all senior citizens. Over the last week, the program has been overwhelmingly supported by the community. They gained so many donations that they were able to create a ‘soup bank,’ enabling them to now offer free soup for healthcare workers, first responders and senior citizens. The team at TMG is planning to make station drops at local medical and rescue facilities as well in the coming weeks due to these donations. Soup and other takeout from their regular menu is available for curbside pickup at the Safehouse in East Greenwich. 195 Old Forge Rd., East Greenwich, 401-885-4999, safehouseri.com
Federal Hill businesses give back
The Federal Hill Commerce Association, with Domenic Ierfino from Roma and Michael Costantino of Venda Ravioli, provided dinner for 300 nurses and doctors at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence. Rick Simone of the Federal Hill Commerce Association was also able to collect and donate 4,000 gloves to give to the hospital thanks to friends in the restaurant industry who provided the donations, including Eric Handwerger, Katie Roberts, Armando Bisceglia, Christopher Tarro, Joe Karam, Trattoria Zooma, Chef Ho’s Chinese Restaurant and others.
Buy a Meal for Rhode Island Healthcare Workers is a GoFundMe to help our local community organized by Tilly’s Cheesesteaks. With every $15 donated (though any amount is appreciated), Tilly’s Cheesesteaks offers one of three choices of meals to healthcare personnel with valid ID. Choose from Tilly Philly’s boxed lunch, the Vegetarian Fun boxed lunch (which can be vegan if asked) or the homemade mac n’ cheese. 3711 Kingstown Rd., West Kingston, 401-783-7711, tillyscheesesteaks.com
Providence Bagel/RI Food Fights
Providence Bagel and RI Food Fights are working together to raise funds for our hometown heroes on the frontlines. Each donation at RI Feeds Our Heroes goes towards purchasing gift cards to various restaurants that offer delivery and curbside pickup. These gift cards will then be distributed directly to nurses and staff at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, Miriam Hospital, Women and Infants Hospital and Roger Williams Hospital. 695 North Main St., Providence, 401-421-2222; 1480 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence, 401-421-2222, providencebagel.com
Dessert is just as important! Brighten the day of a healthcare worker for only $3 and buy them a cookie (or a few) from Sugar Rush Cookies. sugarrushcookieco.com/product-page/cookies-for-healthcare-workers
