FOOD FOR FRONTLINE

On Friday, 10 News was there as 180 lunches were dropped off at the Wythe County Community Hospital from a special local business. Hospital employees lined up with carts, ready for one of Food for Frontline’s largest orders. Flourz owners, Dewey Newhouse and Jennifer Miller, along with their team, started working at 5 a.m. Friday morning to prepare the large order. Miller knows firsthand just how deserving the hospital employees are of a lunch to say thank for their hard work. She herself retired from Wythe County Community Hospital, trading in her scrubs for a ‘Support local business’ t-shirt.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Food for Frontline initiative dropped off more than 90 meals at the Roanoke City Police Department on Thursday. Donations from 10 News viewers paid for lunch from Sal’s Italian Restaurant in Bonsack. Both the police and restaurant said the community has been so supportive the past several months. Chris Ramey with Roanoke police. Friday is the last official stop on the Food for Frontline tour.

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. Food for Frontline stopped in the New River Valley on Wednesday, delivering 80 meals to the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office. We stopped by as they prepared hamburgers and chicken sandwiches for deputies. Sheriff Hank Partin said they are grateful for the support they have received from the community in the past couple of months. I think touching is the best word, but even more than that, the community has stepped up for everyone. On Thursday and Friday, Food for Frontline is headed to the Roanoke City Police Department and the Wythe County Community Hospital.

SALEM, Va. – Food for Frontline moves into week six of using donations from 10 News viewers to buy meals for essential workers. On Tuesday, Schaal’s Catering and Events provided lunch for the Salem fire, police, dispatch and administration departments. Schaal's went above and beyond, setting up their airstream to serve food out of. The frontline workers were treated to BBQ ribs and pulled pork with several sides and desert. On Wednesday, Food for Frontline heads to Montgomery County to deliver lunch to the sheriff’s department.

In the final week of Food for Frontline, Gods Pit Crew volunteers were treated as they continued to work around the clock. It has been about as crazy as crazy could be, said Randy Johnson, Gods Pit Crew founder. Typically, Gods Pit Crew runs on hundreds of volunteers. Were really happy to prepare all the stuff and really happy to cook the food for the people, said Vincenzo Badalamenti, whose family owns Joe & Mimmas. People have been good to us, so were really happy about that.Joe & Mimmas staff unloaded the meals at the Gods Pit Crew warehouse and wheeled them in to the breakroom.

ROANOKE, Va. Food for Frontline continued Thursday, feeding those who are working with the most vulnerable members of our community. Three Notchd Brewery in downtown Roanoke made grilled chicken sandwiches for employees at Friendship Retirement Community in south Roanoke County. The brewery general manager, Emily Laney, said the Food for Frontline program is much appreciated. Thursdays order of 75 meals was more food than theyve cooked in two months. On Friday, Food for Frontline delivers lunch to staff at Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington.

DANVILLE, Va. Food for Frontline donations bought award-winning BBQ from a southside staple for employees at Sovah Health. On Wednesday, hospital employees were treated to lunch from the Checkered Pig BBQ. The community has been so supportive and so thankful, it's been very helpful, thank you, said Alan Larson, Sovah Health CEO. Thats just really a great experience to see everybody kind of pulling together during this time, said Leonard Phelps, Checkered Pig Assistant General Manager. Since the start of the initiative, 10 News viewers have donated more than $30,000 to feed more than 1,500 essential workers.

DALEVILLE, Va. – Tuesday happened to be the perfect time to deliver Food for Frontline meals to the Botetourt County Fire and EMS department. It's National EMS Week, a time to thank those who care for us. Firetrucks and ambulances from across the county stopped by Greenfield to grab a hot lunch from Three Li’l Pigs in Daleville. The fire chief said they are grateful the community paid for lunch, but he also encouraged folks to thank all the essential workers out there. Nearly 1,500 lunches have been delivered to frontline workers thanks to generous donations from 10 News viewers to this initiative.

BEDFORD, Va. – Food for Frontline is moving into week five of feeding those who have worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the Bedford Police Department received lunch from a local bakery thanks to donations from 10 News viewers. The owner said faithful customers and Monday’s Food for Frontline order has helped them continue. It’s been really rough, really rough,” said Ginger Williams, owner of My Way Bakery. The Bedford Police Department was grateful that the community wanted to say thank you.

LYNCHBURG, Va. Some of the most important people during this pandemic have been those who clean hospitals, helping to stop the spread of the virus. On Friday, those employees at Centra Health in Lynchburg got lunch thanks to Food for Frontline. Macados in Lynchburg delivered 60 lunches to the environmental services department, bought with donations to the initiative from 10 News viewers. One environmental services employee said they certainly hear everyones Thank yous during this time but pointed out they do more than clean rooms. It was very surprising, and we really do have some really great people that cares, said Harrick Horsley, Environmental Services Technician.

ROANOKE, Va. – Donations to Food for Frontline bought lunch for 60 Kindred at Home employees on Wednesday. On Wednesday, a portion of that bought lunch from Remini’s on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke for the frontline workers with Kindred at Home. Kindred at Home employees said they were thankful to be part of stopping the spread of COVID-19. To help us and help those people that need food,” said Remini’s owner Dawn Ferrone. On Thursday, those who are working to feed students in Roanoke County will receive Food for Frontline lunches thanks to your donations.

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Local restaurants have delivered nearly 1,000 meals to essential workers thanks to your donations. Food for Frontline stopped by the Bonsack Walmart on Monday with a favorite Mexican dish. Wiping carts at the door and filling online orders are just a few of the routines Walmart employees find themselves in since the pandemic began. Quickl,y we all realized just how essential grocery store employees are. Monday, Rodeo Chico in Daleville dropped off 120 arroz con pollo lunches to the hard workers at Walmart.

ROANOKE, Va. – The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of grocery store employees. On Friday, Food for Frontline delivered dozens of lunches to Kroger employees working at the Towers Shopping Center store. With your donations, we bought 80 meals from Grace's Place in Grandin to give to everyone working all three shifts. James DeMaria, the manager at Towers Kroger said the staff was touched by the gesture. With your help we’ve helped deliver nearly 900 meals to essential workers across southwest Virginia.

Food banks have been on the front lines of the economic fallout, making sure families have enough to eat. On Thursday, donations from 10 News viewers to Food for Frontline fed dozens of staff and volunteers at Feeding Southwest Virginia. “Food by truck, food by trunk, food by gift cards and food by meals delivered,” said Irvine. Food for Frontline donations picked up the tab on nearly 60 lunches delivered from Canale’s Ham and BBQ. With sales down 40%, the Food for Frontline effort to support restaurants and essential workers has been helpful.

SALEM, Va. – Wednesday marked the eighth Food for Frontline delivery and appropriately it went to the OR staff at Lewis Gale Medical Center. Wednesday is National Nurse Appreciation Day and they’re grateful to get food while one local business is thankful to make it. This order from the Food for Frontline initiative is going a long way for this small business. The complimentary meal is showing up at the perfect time - on a national day thanking our nurses. They are the heart of our institutions, the heart of Lewis Gale in what we do every day and for our patients and community here,” Lee said.

ROANOKE, Va. – 10 News wrapped up another week of Food for Frontline deliveries on Friday, and Valley Metro employees were treated to some seafood tacos delivered from an area favorite. When you walk into Cabo Fish Taco in Roanoke, you’ll see a drink sign with shamrocks. Friday's boxed lunches were sent to Valley Metro employees, who are making sure people are getting where they need to go. Barrar and other Cabo Fish Taco employees unloaded boxes of meals in the Valley Metro break room. Neville had never had Cabo Fish Taco before, so Friday was a first, but to those who have, Barrar said they know it’s different and always good.

On Wednesday, dozens of truck drivers were surprised with a sandwich and a smile at White’s Travel Center in Raphine. At noon, White’s Travel Center employees set up at the front door handing out donated lunches to drivers coming in off the road, ready to refuel. White’s Travel Center owner Bobby Berkstresser said he’s heard from drivers that in some parts of the country good food has been harder to come by. Truck drivers has not always had the best reputation maybe. If you would like to donate to the Food for Frontline initiative, click here.

On Tuesday, Sharkey’s dropped off dozens of lunches to the Food Lion in Blacksburg on North Main Street as part of our Food for Frontline initiative. Sitting in the Food Lion break room, Haylee Hess took a few minutes to enjoy the lunch delivered to her and dozens of her coworkers. “It's definitely been some tiring days, some long hours, some long weeks. We feel like things are somewhat stabilizing now as far as what the new norm is becoming,” said Jason Kinzer, Food Lion Store Manager. It was really good,” said Hess.

More Food for Frontline meals were delivered to those risking their own health for others. On Friday, donations from 10 News viewers bought lunches from Roanoke’s CoreLife Eatery for those who have a very important job. At the entrance to pick up 162 boxes of lunch were a few members of Carilion’s Environmental Services Department. The Food for Frontline donations was also the largest ever to-go order for CoreLife. As of 3:40 p.m. Friday, Food for Frontline had raised $18,230 with nearly 200 donations.

ROANOKE, Va. – The first round of Food for Frontline is complete! On Wednesday, the first batch of meals went to Roanoke Fire-EMS employees. Farmburguesa co-owners handed off the lunches bought with your donations for the Food for Frontline initiative. “For the community to step up and help us do that, make food for us, is a really big deal,” said Mann. If you would like to donate to Food for Frontline, click here.

ROANOKE, Va. – Thanks to your donations WSLS 10 helping the hard-working doctors and nurses, law enforcement officers and other frontline employees in our communities, as well as local restaurants that are struggling. The money we’ve received as part of our Food For Frontline campaign will go to buying meals from area restaurants that will be delivered to different groups of frontline workers. Serve: We will then partner with local restaurants to order meals that will be distributed to those on the frontline. Our hope is this partnership will assist local restaurants and their staff. Meals for the frontline workers will be individually packaged.