Joliet Region Food & Beverage Association Giving Some Love To Our Local Healthcare Workers

The Joliet Region Food & Beverage Association (JRFBA), a division of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry is eager to announce that the JRFBA will be kicking off a campaign to gather meal donations for hospital staff at Saint Joseph Medical Center and Silver Cross Hospital beginning Monday, January 17, 2022.

As the Omicron variant has overwhelmed the local hospital system, the JRFBA leadership felt that the time was right to give back to the doctors, nurses, and support staff that take care of our community. This effort needs to heighten the awareness of just how overwhelmed staff is and how we can come together as all had done in 2020 and 2021 to show appreciation of our healthcare workers.

“The stress level is high at both facilities and the situation of an already reduced workforce has not helped matters at all,” remarked JRFBA Chairman George Daskalakis of Al’s Steak House. “In the absence of an in-person program for the month of January, we still wanted to coordinate a program that our members can take part in,” said Daskalakis who has committed to meals on day number one.

Restaurants are welcome to donate, businesses are welcome to purchase meals or gift cards that can go towards the purchase of meals from chamber member restaurants, and citizens may also participate by doing the same. Silver Cross Hospital already has a meal chain website established ( www.mealtrain.com/trains/3gq4g8 ). The chamber office will be working to coordinate meals sent to Saint Joseph Medical Center through a google doc web page:

(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g0nVO3Ae3SR0sdytWD2APdefMldNm0dVuFs2jAmtwtE/edit?usp=sharing)

The goal is to provide fifty meals a day through at least through the end of January. Contact Mike Paone at the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry at (815) 727-5373 or via email at [email protected] for more information and/or for assistance in coordinating a meal donation.

Meanwhile, at AMITA St. Joseph Medical Center the number of patients in the hospital with COVID has come down from 135 patients to 126 patients since the end of December. At Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox there are currently 122 patients in the hospital with COVID down from 156 patients at the height on December 28th.