By Laura Michell
A new initiative is striving to help Melbourne’s struggling hospitality businesses stay afloat while also providing meals for hardworking frontline medical staff.
Operation thank you: Frontline meals launched two weeks ago as a way for people to show their gratitude to the healthcare and emergency services workers helping keep us safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Founder Natasha Oommen said the idea behind Operation thank you: Frontline meals was that people donated money to pay for meals for frontline workers.
The meals are then made and delivered by struggling hospitality businesses, helping them keep their businesses going.
The initiative has established a pilot program at Northern Hospital, providing meals to the fever, respiratory and emergency departments.
A number of businesses including North Fitzroy’s Moroccan Soup Bar, Atlantic Group, Edge Hospitality, Dolce Gusto in Niddrie and Heart Attack and Vine in Carlton have already signed up to make and deliver meals.
Ms Oommen hopes to expand the program to other frontline services in the coming weeks.
She said doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, police and paramedics were putting themselves at risk of infection daily to protect the community from COVID-19 and would need “good food” to sustain their efforts.
“I just wanted to do something to help and do something positive,” Ms Oommen said.
“Food is such an integral part of our lives and this marriage of hospitality and frontline care seemed like a simple way to help our community.”
Donations can be made via www.frontlinemealsmelb.org
