Local Effort Supports Small Restaurants throughout the Portland Metro and Provides Meals to Healthcare Workers and First Responders
PORTLAND, Ore. (April 2, 2020) – In effort to support the hardworking healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus battle and keep small restaurants in business, Country Financial representatives throughout the Portland metro area are partnering with local restaurants to provide free meals to healthcare workers and first responders from Portland to McMinnville.
Country Financial representatives from agencies in Clackamas, Hillsboro, Portland and Tualatin are supporting small local restaurants who are open for take-out and delivery to purchase meals for local hospitals, fire departments and police departments on Wednesdays, for an unspecified amount of time.
Ben Weinstein who works for Country Financial’s West Portland agency kicked things off last week when he partnered with Güeroin NE Portland to provide free meals to healthcare workers. Weinstein is also working with Güero and Dame to deliver meals to OHSU workers.
“The ‘Country Meal’ means we can keep our doors open and live to see another day as a business and is helping to keep seven people employed,” said Alec Morrison, co-owner of Güero. “This act of generosity is bigger than business.”
Knowing the effort could be bigger, Weinstein ran the idea past the agency managers in the Portland area and they spread the word to their teams.
Hundreds of meal deliveries began yesterday in support of local restaurants and healthcare professionals.
Stacy Spahr worked with Joule on NE Sandy to deliver meals to Providence Portland.
Drew Johnson and Brian Rusk worked with Insomnia coffee shop in Hillsboro to deliver coffee and breakfast to Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro and have Boro Burger food truck scheduled to deliver 200 meals next week.
Representatives from Country Financial’s Tualatin Valley agency partnered with restaurants including Koi Fusion, Izumi Japanese Steakhouse, Crazy Kitchen and Lagos De Chapala to deliver meals to hospitals, clinics, fire and police departments in McMinnville, Newberg, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville.
“As of now, we have a plan to provide meals to healthcare workers and first responders in our community through May and June,” said Todd Williams, agency manager for Country Financial in Tualatin. “It’s a small gesture and we may not be able to cover everyone, but it’s something we can do to sustain our hardworking healthcare workers and first responders who are putting their lives on the line every day, at the same time, doing what we can to keep small local restaurants in business during these unprecedented times.”
Country Financial representatives are continuing to work with local restaurants and hospitals to coordinate meal deliveries for the coming weeks. Can Font in the Pearl District heard about what was happening and jumped on board.
Country Financial will donate more than $1 million in 2020 as part of its Operation Helping Heroes program to support first responders, active duty service members and healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus battle.
About COUNTRY Financial®
COUNTRY Financial serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States and offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home, business, farm and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.