Frontline Workers Overwhelmed By Meal Donations from Atlanta Restaurants

As Atlantans who have sheltered in place grow increasingly restless, there has been another group of Georgians who never were able to stay home. Frontline workers–grocery store employees, healthcare heroes, sanitation workers, and many more groups–have been working tirelessly to provide essential services to their communities.

Mercy Care employees are some of these frontline workers. Mercy Care is nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide exceptional medical care to all regardless of insurance or income status. They have continued to serve their patients throughout the whole COVID-19 crisis instead staying at home.

Atlanta restaurant owners have recognized the sacrifice of these frontline workers all over the city and have stepped up to give back in the way that they know best: by providing a nourishing, delicious meal. Mercy Care in particular has received around 1,200 meals so far from area restaurants and groups such as Gathering Industries, Gusto, World Central Kitchen, Apple Spice Catering, Empire State South, Affairs to Remember, Naanstop, and Budi’s Sushi.

“We were getting so much great food! It was just… my diet is shot!” Patricia Slater, the Clinic Services Director at Mercy Care City of Refuge said. “Naanstop brought food to [the staff] as well as to the ladies at Recuperative Care. The ladies were just so excited about the meal.” Mercy Care’s Women’s Recuperative Care program, housed within the City of Refuge, provides a safe place for women without shelter to recover after being discharged from local hospitals; more info on the program can be found in the video below.

Women’s Recuperative Care Program at Mercy Care | Video: Mercy Care

Mercy Care has been particularly important in the fight against COVID-19, as they have worked tirelessly to test the most vulnerable for COVID-19, distribute hand sanitizer to homeless individuals, give meal kits to those who no longer have food services, and donate handmade masks to their patients. Their street medicine team has also been out in the community working to check on and educate unsheltered homeless persons on COVID-19.

“We cater to all patients, we have patients from all walks of life and we’re very proud of that but we have a special focus on the underserved population and they don’t always have the option to shelter-in-place or have refuge… So they continue to meet their needs here,” said Mercy Care’s Christopher Harrison, Clinic Manager at the Mercy Care Decatur Street.

Aside from leading the fight against COVID-19 for vulnerable Atlanta populations, Mercy Care Atlanta serves uninsured and lower income patients year-round.

“This is what we do every day, all day. It’s not because we’re doing it because of the pandemic, we take care of this population all the time,” said Patricia Slater. “We don’t look for appreciation, we don’t look for meals because this is what we do… we bring our hearts to work. But the icing on the cake was when people did think about Mercy Care, that they do this all the time, that we should recognize them. It was very encouraging, it was encouraging to my staff to know that we are appreciated and that we aren’t forgotten because we aren’t a big hospital.”

When asked what he would like to say to the countless restaurants that have given meals away to frontline workers, Harrison was clear: “Thank you for helping keeping our city, our state, or country running. Food is fuel, so we need that food to keep going. You are appreciated, you are essential to our communities. We are able to continue doing what we do because you guys are donating your services and your food and time.” 

Slater added that she had a special plate in her heart for those who also thought about especially vulnerable populations such as seniors, children in low-income households, and homeless persons during this time of crisis: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, especially the ones who have just given away food to the population that we serve. People who are not able to pay for food, who are hungry, to [the] schools…. Thank you so much for doing what we do, we appreciate you appreciating us.”

Any restaurants that would like to donate meal kits to Mercy Care can contact their volunteer coordinator, Nicole Smith via email at [email protected]. Individuals can also make a donation to Mercy Care if they’d like to help.