MICHIGAN, USA — A local restaurant is helping community members pay it forward to healthcare workers amid COVID-19.
The domino effect started after the Nov. 15 announcement of new state restrictions. After the order went into effect, a large party had to cancel their order at Amore Trattoria Italiana.
However, after the order was canceled, Head Chef Jenna Arcidiacono was not asked for a refund. Instead, the customer who requested the original order asked that she pay it forward.
Chef Jenna has been nationally recognized for her businesses record of giving back.
She used the money to pay for an order that went to a nursing staff at Spectrum Health that helped take care of a customer's father before he died from COVID-19 complications.
"This woman wanted to donate to nurses taking care of her father, she only got to say goodbye by Zoom, if you could only image how terrible that is," Chef Jenna said.
With limited to no visitors being allowed in hospitals due to the large surge in COVID-19 cases, many families have had the same fate.
This customer came to pick up the order on Friday, Nov. 20, and left a card behind to thank the restaurant. Inside of that card was more money for another order to be paid forward.
"So I called Jenna and asked if she could make some meals for the nurses taking care of my mom. They've been taking care of her during her cancer journey," said customer Melissa Whitlinger.
Chef Jenna was more than excited to be delivering another meal to healthcare workers during this time. Whitlinger's order was just another reminder that healthcare staff are still dealing with regular patients with their own, different needs on top of the pandemic.
"Because of COVID-19, my family can't be there to hold her hand and tell her everything is going to be okay, so the nurses are there, they are acting as an extended family to all of these patients, including my mother and I just really want to thank them for that," Whitlinger said.
On Friday, the hospital staff contacted Whitlinger's family to let her know her mother was given the okay to come home Saturday evening.
Whitlinger's daughter was able to pick up her mother from the front entrance of the hospital, while she dropped off the meals in the back.
"It's so awesome that originally someone was able to take something that must've really sucked for them by having to cancel an order and really made something beautiful out of it," Chef Jenna said.
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