During a historic slowdown in the global catering market, Boston-based ezCater announced its Feed the Front Line program has resulted in more than 20,000 meals sent to 145 hospitals across the U.S., including hundreds from pop singer Lizzo.
“Healthcare workers are risking their health to protect ours, and restaurants are fighting to stay in business,” ezCater said in a press release on the program. “Feed the Front Line connects people who want to support healthcare workers with local restaurants who need orders, through contributions of any size.”
Through the program, $10 can feed one healthcare worker, while $300 feeds a unit and $3,000 can feed an entire floor of a hospital.
The pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry, with average sales down more than 60 percent, according to Black Box Intelligence. With many restaurants closing their doors and many offices and factories shuttered or operating at a reduced capacity, the catering market has been especially hard hit by the pandemic.
The sudden downturn caused ezCater to lay off a significant portion of its staff, as it, and similar providers like Foodsby, have looked at different options to continue operations and support its clients during the pandemic.
With a national network of 78,000 restaurants, ezCater can help anyone send meals to hospitals throughout the U.S. Companies have sent meals to hospitals in every city where they operate, and local charities have relied on ezCater to handle the logistics of getting meals to hospitals.
More information on the program is available at ezcater.com/feedthefrontline.