Company paying two Wheeling restaurants to feed hospital workers, firefighters
Two Wheeling restaurants are in the final week of preparing scores of meals for the village's fire department and employees at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, all funded by a local company.
Reynolds Consumer Products in Wheeling has been paying for the food from D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub and Rise n Dine Pancake Cafe, both on Milwaukee Avenue just south of Dundee Road. The establishments are on Wheeling's well-known Restaurant Row.
The eateries, along with some in Chicago, Richmond, Virginia, and other towns with Reynolds plants, are benefiting from the company's desire to give them a financial lift amid stay-at-home orders by funding meals for hospital workers and first responders. Reynolds' plant off Wheeling Road produces bakeware such as disposable aluminum pans and foil.
"Community is everything, and we want to do as much good as we can for the essential workers in health care and first responders who are literally putting their lives on the line to protect our health and safety, said Nick Delaforte, the company's vice president of operations.
"Providing a warm meal is a comfort that we hope shows the deep gratitude we have from all of us at Reynolds Consumer Products."
Reynolds committed to purchase a combined 1,000 meals this month from Rise n Dine and D'Agostino's for two Wheeling fire stations and Northwest Community, according to the company. Deliveries have been on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to the firehouses and Tuesday and Friday to the hospital.
Rise n Dine co-owner Ivan Arriola said items have included wraps, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and more. While the restaurant has managed since being forced to end sit-down service in March - even rehiring some employees - the Reynolds business has been much appreciated.
"At first, we couldn't believe it," Arriola said, "but the emails back and forth (with Reynolds) started happening and it became more real. The next thing you know, we're delivering food for the hospital. It was a pretty amazing thing to happen."
Northwest Community has received 500 meals so far and a final delivery of 75 is scheduled Friday. Workers in all COVID-19 patient floors, the emergency department, neonatal intensive care unit, radiology and infection control are among those who have received the meals.
"It was my job to call the floors down to let them know when the donated food arrived," said Maureen Centeno, a hospital employee and food donation coordination volunteer. "As they came from all different departments to accept the gifts, I could see the exhaustion and the gratefulness in their eyes. This donation meant that they had one less thing to worry about and lifted their spirits knowing the outside world cared."
D'Agostino's mostly has been asked by Reynolds to provide pizzas, salads, chicken dinners, Italian beef sandwiches and cookies. Menu items from both eateries have changed weekly for the program, which ends this weekend.