5 unique ways to help Birmingham’s healthcare + hospitality workers now
Reading time: 6 minutes
We are fortunate that our Magic City is filled with smart, creative people who are finding ways to help Birmingham’s healthcare and hospitality workers now. As you can imagine, both are facing new challenges, for different reasons. Keep reading to find out how you can get involved.
1. Get food from local restaurants to healthcare workers via Birmingham Area Meals for Healthcare Workers
Rip Andrews of Marsh, Rickard & Bryan, P.C. and Will Baker of Walker & Dunlop saw a need to provide support to healthcare workers and restaurants during this time and they came together to help meet it.
Here’s how it works: generous sponsors support local restaurants to bring meals to local healthcare workers. Although it’s just started, meals have already been delivered to hospital nurses and doctors, with plans for more.
Can’t spring for a host of meals but want to contribute? Hop over here and select Meals for Healthcare.
Here’s how it works:
- Healthcare team leader signs up (24 hours notice, please), requesting the number of meals they would like on a certain date and certain meal time. A notes section allows healthcare team leaders to supply vital information such as contact details and whether you need the meal at a specific time.
- Birmingham Area Meals for Healthcare Workers finds a local restaurant that can supply the meals and posts the restaurant name and total here.
- A generous sponsor signs up to pay for the meal and provides their contact information. It’s up to the sponsor and restaurant to work out payment and delivery logistics via phone or email. NOTE: sponsors should only sign up when there is an active healthcare team meal request.
Interested? Sign up now, share with your friends and colleagues, or click here to make a donation.
Restaurants can contact Will Baker at 202.210.1485 or wbaker@walkerdunlop.com if they’re able to provide a requested meal.
2. Give back to Birmingham’s Frontline Heroes with local creatives
Frontline Heroes is a new initiative of Birmingham bloggers and digital creators who are working together to provide meals to healthcare workers fighting the COVID-10 pandemic at Birmingham area hospitals.
The group’s mission is “to feed healthcare providers, nurses, and support staff, who are risking their lives each and every day to protect the health and safety of our beloved Birmingham community. Their goal is to serve 1400 meals during the first week (starting March 30th) to frontline healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 epidemic at area hospitals.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Follow #FrontlineHeroes on Instagram.
- Donate via Venmo to @frontlineheroes. All donations go directly toward purchasing meals from Birmingham area restaurant partners.
Restaurants donate a portion of meals and provide a discounted price for meals purchased with donations collected.
Fit Five Meals is the first restaurant partner. Their meals will go to the COVID-19 floor at UAB Highlands and UAB Main on Monday, March 30.
The Cahaba Heights Zaxby’s will donate meals on Tuesday, March 31 for both day and night shift workers.
The Summit is partnering with several of the restaurants on their property for the rest of the week, and is hoping to provide at least 300 meals plus a donation to the initiative, according to Carver Boynton, General Manager of The Summit.
- Wednesday: Shake Shack
- Thursday: Chuy’s
- Friday: Panera
- Saturday: Seasons 52
- Sunday: PF Chang’s
- Monday: Real & Rosemary with support from Battle Republic
Tuesday is Bellini’s Ristorante, and the partnerships will continue after this with support from the community.
3. Charles Barkley wants you to help support restaurant + bar workers with Redmont Distilling
Anyone who’s ever worked in a restaurant or a bar knows it’s common to live shift-to-shift, let alone paycheck-to-paycheck. Tips are key, and it’s hard to make tips when you can’t serve customers.
Charles Barclay and Redmont Distilling want to step in to help fill this gap together with the Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Association through two initiatives:
- The Alabama Hospitality Workers Relief Fund
- The Redmont Tee. 100% of the profits from the shirt go to the fund.
The Redmont team will be vetting the applications to ensure that Alabama’s hospitality workers receive much-needed aid.
Follow: Instagram
Buy the t-shirt #ForgedinFire
4. Send food to healthcare workers with #BHMCares
This group was started by Dr. Brandon White, a local hospital physician. Here’s BHMCares‘ goal:
“to do everything we can to help our local businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic by supporting them and at the same time helping alleviate some of the stress of the pandemic felt by healthcare workers.”
This is a quick and easy way to donate to purchase food for local healthcare workers. Click, call the restaurant and tell them how much you’d like to donate, then pay over the phone. Alternatively, you can donate directly via Paypal on the site. Ultra Motorcars will make sure the food is delivered.
5. Send Girl Scout cookies to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with Cookie Care
Since #socialdistancing hit before local Girl Scouts had sold all their cookies, the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama has created a program called Cookie Care. Through the program, we can help fund donations of cookies to healthcare workers, first responders, food banks and nursing homes.
Click here to donate Girl Scout Cookies to those affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you’re a central AL resident who wants great info on everything from where to order food to where to find an online fitness class and more, we’ve got you covered. Check out this searchable database and support local.
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Now tell us, Birmingham, which of these five initiatives will you support? Tag us on social @bhamnow and let us know.
