PROVIDENCE – When Gov. Gina M. Raimondo offered restaurants the opportunity to allow take-out in order to stay in operation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Encore Hospitality Group Managing Partner Paul Conforti said that setup wouldn’t work for the group – which owns Mill’s Tavern and Red Stripe restaurant.
However, Conforti said that every day on the news he was seeing people working the frontlines trying to get the pandemic under control as well as an increased need for food in the community that is being ravaged by the virus. So, Conforti – who is also the chief marketing officer for Ocean State Job Lot – didn’t have to look too far to find a charitable organization and a group of chefs willing to help distribute multiple meals in need.
In response, both Encore Restaurant Group and the Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation cooked up something to help the community.
The two entities recently launched its Meals with a Mission program, which delivers prepared meals to frontline workers, first responders and individuals residing in vulnerable communities during the pandemic. The distribution program began May 6 in conjunction with National Nurse Appreciation Day, where approximately 500 meals were delivered to health care workers at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital.
The idea, which was the brainchild of Job Lot Principal Owner and CEO Marc Perlman, was an easy match for both Encore and Job Lot, Conforti said. The Job Lot Charitable Foundation distributes more than 12 million meals annually via its Three Square Meals program and the new collaboration would allow chefs and employees at Mill’s Tavern and Red Stripe to put their cooking skills back to work.
“We said why don’t we put all of these resources together,” Conforti told Providence Business News. “Why don’t we take the restaurant resources that we have, the opportunity the foundation has to provide us with food and why don’t we use it to make meals for those working on our behalf and those who need help right now.”
It didn’t take long for the program to skyrocket. In less than two weeks, Encore and the Job Lot Charitable Foundation were slated to deliver 3,595 meals to 18 organizations across Rhode Island, including Roger Williams Medical Center, Kent County Memorial Hospital, the Central Falls Housing Authority, Children’s Friend, and police and fire departments in Pawtucket, Central Falls and Providence.
Conforti said Mill’s Tavern and Red Stripe are each running two shifts in order to cook and prepare the meals for distribution.
Job Lot Charitable Foundation Executive Director David Sarlitto told PBN organizations that are deeply involved in a specific cause – like food assistance – become the “nexus” and see opportunities to solve issues. Having the foundation joining forces with Encore on this venture was almost a “perfect collision,” Sarlitto said.
“You have food that comes from a variety of different places and you have the talented skilled individuals to put it all together, it just worked beautifully,” Sarlitto said.
Conforti said the organizations have received “nothing but gratitude” for the meals when they were delivered, noting you can see the appreciation in the workers’ eyes – even when the smiles aren’t visible through the masks.
“It’s just a testament to the hard work that everybody is doing and to the need that exists out there,” Conforti said. “You know that folks appreciate that we’re thinking of them.”
Providence Business News is spotlighting nonprofits, companies and workers stepping up to challenges presented by the spread of the new coronavirus.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
