Brian Zucker cares deeply about his community. The St. Petersburg, Fla., resident helps run St. Pete Rising, a website dedicated to highlighting new businesses in the area. But when the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States in March, Zucker’s focus shifted.
“I said, ‘People aren’t going to be concerned about new restaurants opening up. They’re going to be concerned about their favorite business surviving.”
He came up with a new idea to support local businesses and frontline health care workers at the same time. After setting up a fundraiser that raised more than $105,000, he began to buy meals from local restaurants and deliver them to hospitals. He’s delivered more than 8,500 meals to medical centers in the area, including more than 2,000 to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, making sure to reach workers across the entire hospital.
“I wanted to provide food not only to those in the ER, but to those in other departments that are integral parts to keeping our community healthy,” he says. “I was really trying to target those departments as well because I know our community really appreciates the work that everyone at the hospital does.”
Zucker is thankful for the outpouring of support from his fellow St. Petersburg residents and quick to highlight their kindness and generosity in an era of uncertainty.
“This is a scary time — people’s jobs are in jeopardy,” he says. “People still found a way to dig deep and donate. None of this would be possible without the help of over 1,000 people who donated.”
Topics: Friends of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Promote and Protect Health