Philadelphia restaurant raises money to help medical community during COVID-19 pandemic
PHILADELPHIA - Many people in the Philadelphia area are dealing with the economic and health effects of COVID-19, but one restaurant is trying to stay open to help the nearby hospitals in need.
Middle Child is a sandwich shop nestled in between two hospitals, Jefferson Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital, at 11th and Spruce Streets.
The restaurant has quickly become a favorite among the local medical community and owner Matthew Cahn was inspired to help the people he interacts with daily, the doctors and nurses working long hours and putting themselves at risk to keep others safe.
“I think the general sense is that there’s a lot of stress in the hospitals now. Stress on the health care sector in general and this is just a great little way to brighten their day," Cahn told FOX 29's Bill Anderson.
FULL COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS
At first Cahn just wanted to donate lunches to the doctors but he couldn’t afford to just give away food for a very long time so he did the next best thing. He took to social media and the response he received was impressive.
“I thought we’d raise a couple thousand dollars, we ended up raising about fifteen thousand dollars so far. That’s enough to feed about 800 people over at the hospital," Cahn added.
It’s the perfect example of doing for others and people will look out for you, a theme we’ve regularly seen as people come together in this difficult time.
“I can continue making food for all of these hospital workers and also give my employees things to do and give them a paycheck to keep their lights on,” Cahn explained.
FULL COVERAGE: FOR GOODNESS' SAKE
Middle Child Restaurant is still closed to the public, but every day, employees come to work making sandwiches and writing notes on lunch bags that are then given to the hospital staff. It gives them a moment to smile and exhale in a normally tension-filled day.
“I wanted to figure out a way that Middle Child could continue to provide happiness everyday even if people are not coming into the shop,” Cahn said, “If we all think about each other and think about the greater good, I’m sure we’ll all turn out alright.”
For more information or to find out how to make a contribution to buying sandwiches, you can go to their Instagram page.
The more money that they raise, the more they will be able to keep making lunches for more doctors. Together we can help – For Goodness Sake.
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