LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — After restaurants were forced to close their dining rooms, thousands of employees were laid off.
Without jobs, many of those individuals who normally feed the public are in need of someone to feed them.
The Restaurant Workers Relief Program plans to do just that with the help of the LEE Initiative and Makers Mark as well as some Lexington restaurants.
Beginning Thursday night from 5:00 to 7:00, Great Bagel & Bakery on Boston Rd. will transform into a relief center and be open for curb-side dinner service for restaurant workers who either lost their jobs or have reduced hours due to the coronavirus restrictions.
"They have a couple of chefs who are back in the kitchen and they are social distancing themselves and prepping the food and preparing stuff that's been donated and or stuff that they've been able to purchase with that grant money so that they have food," explained volunteer Kristy Maggard.
Every night the meal will be different and is based on donations from the community which sometimes include household items.
"[It] would be great if you can just put them in plastic bags and drop them off at the door. If you're going to do your own grocery shopping--maybe at Kroger pickup a couple extra things. Granola bars, what have you and just--diapers and throw them in your bag and just drop it off after you've done your own shopping," said Maggard.
To those volunteering for this project, these meals are so much more than food.
"It just means that we're not forgetting about our fellow Lexington County and our fellow Kentucky, I mean it's just, we're all in this together and I think the restaurant industry is such a great industry because we have all gone out to a restaurant and celebrated so many life moments and celebrations and I think we are going to get back to that," expressed Maggard. "So this is just a little bump in the road hopefully him that we are taking care of each other and food is something that really does not only it nourishes the body but it's also something that people come together around tables to celebrate and to eat and to also thrive."
If you would prefer to donate monetarily, visit www.leeinitative.org and be sure to select "Lexington."
