PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The generosity in the Tampa Bay area is shining through as businesses team up with restaurants to not only help them financially but feed some of the people impacted the most by COVID-19.
In St. Petersburg, the burners are fired up and the oven is hot at Grazzi Italian Restaurant.
“I make whatever I can that I have in house, I’ve been making different dishes every day,” said Antony Mangiagico, the owner and head chef.
From 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Mangiafico is making meals for hospitality workers who are no longer getting a paycheck.
“Last week I woke up one morning and I thought to myself I’ve got to do something to help these people out,” he said.
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Chloe Dahl was laid off at another restaurant in St. Pete. She picked up lunch this afternoon.
“Thankfully, there’s people that are doing things like this so that we can eat,” said Dahl.
Others share the desire to help. At Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor, food is being served for medical staff at Mease Countryside.
“We will deliver it for free, we will bring it to them,” said Rachel Fine, the owner.
Grant Krapf and his wife, owners of Kraph Legal in Clearwater, picked up the check, which supports Gigglewaters and healthcare workers.
“They’re doing work that none of us can do, and we hope that they feel the love that we’re spreading to them,” said Kraph.
Fine says those folks are the real heroes.
“These are people who put themselves in harm's way every single day for the greater good,” she said. “They don’t have enough protection they don’t have masks but they are still on the front lines keeping all of us safe. The least we can do is keep them fed.”
Gigglewaters hopes to team up with other corporations and businesses in the area to feed more medical professionals and first responders. If you’d like to get in touch, e-mail them at events@gigglewaters.com.
