Downtown restaurant owners are working together to give back to the community.
Local Restaurants Helping You is a new initiative that provides complimentary meal packages to those in the community who have been affected in some way by the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is nothing we can do about this situation, it’s totally out of our hands,” said Darrell Mussell, the owner of The Huron Club. “All we can do is build some goodwill in the community and between all of the restaurants.”
For the past few weeks, select restaurants have been putting together packages to support nurses and other frontline workers. In the process, Mussell quickly realized how many other people were in need of additional support.
“I got to thinking, maybe the local restaurants could get together and offer something to anyone who has been touched or affected by COVID-19,” said Mussell.
He reached out to a few other restaurant owners in town, and the response was overwhelming. It started off with five restaurants on board and continues to grow daily.
“Everyone who has jumped on has been great,” said Mussell. “Everybody is in the same boat, nobody is doing well, so for establishments to want to get involved when they are already losing money is great.”
Anyone can nominate an individual or family in the community that they think could benefit from a complimentary care package from one of the participating restaurants.
Mussell contacts the nominees directly to inquire about the number of meals required, and if they have any preferences or dietary restrictions. If one restaurant cannot accommodate the request, another will step in to fill the order.
No formal criteria is needed for nominations.
“Everyone is being affected in some way, and we aren’t going to judge how you have been affected or how serious it is for you. We just want to help,” said Mussell.
After Mussell’s initial post, several other establishments reached out wanting to take part.
The roster now includes The Huron Club, Low Down, Dags & Willow Fine Cheese and Gourmet Shop, Crow Bar & Variety, Curly Willow, Fig & Feta, BRGZ, Tesoro and Chef Patrick Gourmet Foods.
“We joined the initiative as a way to contribute to the community,” said Kelly Siskind, who owns Dags & Willow along with her husband, Steven Epstein. “We’re all in this together, and while local businesses like ours are also facing tougher times, we need to come together and support each other.”
The restaurants involved are all part of Collingwood’s downtown core, and Mussell hopes to stay connected and work together as a group, even after all of this is over.
“A lot of the downtown restaurants aren’t franchises. We’re mostly smaller operations, usually family-owned, and we have a lot of commonalities,” said Mussell.
“It’s a way to be a part of the bigger whole,” said Siskind.
So far, the group has prepared and delivered over 30 complimentary meals to members of the community. Moving forward, Mussell expects to get anywhere from 10-15 requests a day.
“Things like this bring people together,” said Mussell. “It’s a terrible situation, but the positives coming out of it is a lot more community involvement and care in the community.”
Mussell said the plan is to continue offering the complimentary care packages for as long as the demand is there.
“It’s just a little thing we can do, but every little thing adds up,” Mussel said.
To nominate someone, contact one of the restaurants directly or email [email protected].
