Lansdowne, Virginia – In just the first few weeks of the coronavirus crisis in Loudoun County, it was apparent that local hospital workers were under a lot of stress and long hours caring for the first wave of COVID-19 patients.
At the same time, local restaurants saw an immediate 80%-90% drop in revenues, as sit-down dining was banned and they were forced to rely on delivery or pick-up service exclusively.
So, the Loudoun Chamber decided to launch a campaign to buy our local health care heroes lunch once a week, while generating some sales for restaurants near Inova Loudoun Hospital and StoneSpring Hospital Center.
That campaign of modest origins became the “Feed Loudoun’s Health Care Heroes,” which in two months raised $12,000 in direct donations, plus to another $5,000 from in-kind donations from participating restaurants.
“The COVID-19 crisis could have been far worse here in Loudoun, were it not for the hard work and sacrifices of our health care professionals and their hospital employers. “Feed Loudoun’s Health Care Heroes” was an expression of our collective gratitude for all that these heroes have done to care for our sick and help limit the spread of this awful disease,” said Loudoun Chamber President and CEO Tony Howard.
The “Feed Loudoun’s Health Care Heroes” campaign was created thanks to the generous contributions made by Communicate by Design CBDx and Copy General.
Purchased from Loudoun Chamber-member restaurants, the meals were packaged and delivered using strict health and safety protocols. Nearly all participating restaurants generously contributed additional food and beverages, to feed even more hospital workers.
Participating restaurants included Bonefish Grill Ashburn, Brew Birds, Buffalo Wing Factory, Chick-fil-A Lansdowne, Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm, Famous Toastery Ashburn, Il Cappero, King Street Oyster Bar, La Villa Roma, Matchbox Pizza, Paisano’s, The Wine Kitchen, and the Zone.
For the last 51 years, the Loudoun Chamber has grown to become Northern Virginia’s largest chamber of commerce because we are dedicated to the success of local business and to creating a world class quality of life for every resident, employee and visitor in our community.
Photos and press release are provided by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. To learn more, visit www.LoudounChamber.org.
