N.J. family's plan to help healthcare workers and restaurants grows beyond their imagination
SEWELL, N.J. - Like many families, John Chirico, his wife and their four children are staying home to socially distance.
“It’s been crazy, we’re locked up in the house like everyone, the kids are bouncing off the walls,” Chirico says.
While the family has plenty going on, they still felt like there was something else they could do.
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Chirico’s mom, brother and wife all started to brainstorm.
Maria Mangiamele says she thought about the restaurants forced to close all dine-in services, along with healthcare workers on the front lines.
“I just thought there must be a way to help both groups, help these exhausted workers,” Mangiamele says.
The family says they started a Facebook group, “Food4Staff” with no expectations.
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They planned to collect donations through set-up Venmo and PayPal pages, and give that money directly to local restaurants to order food and help their businesses.
Hospital staff enjoys food donated through Food4Staff.
From there, they planned to have the food orders delivered to hospitals across the area with “thank you” letters for staff members.
“They’re on the front lines working and trying to save people’s lives, so we just wanted to have them at least not worry about eating and feeding themselves, giving them something to look forward to,” says John.
Within just four days, the family says they received at least $12,000 in donations and the Facebook group grew into 2,700 members.
They say the donations go straight to local restaurants to prepare food. So far, they say the food orders went to 12 different hospitals, feeding an estimated 400 healthcare workers and counting.
“It’s just so rewarding to help,” says Maria. “People who are struggling themselves, they’re scared, they’re not sure what’s going to happen with their own financial situations, but yet they’re still donating.”
The family says they have wonderful support from several members in the community, but they could use additional volunteers to help facilitating their orders.
They came up with a slogan — “Make Giving Contagious.”
“Nobody really knows what will happen tomorrow, but yet, in a way, it does bring the best out in a lot of people. It does really unite people, at a time where we all need each other,” says Maria. “In this small way, which is now turning into a big way, that’s what our goal is.”
Anyone interested in helping, can do so here.
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