Dear Franks Restaurant Feeds Hungry First Responders

DEERFIELD, IL — Randy Kash is no stranger to helping those who truly make a difference in the local communities. Long before the current coronavirus pandemic, the co-owner of Dear Franks, with locations in Deerfield and Niles, has been donating food to hospitals, police and fire departments. Now, with the current state of things due to COVID-19, it should be no surprise that the business is stepping up once again.

"We saw the sacrifices many of the medical, police, fire and local store workers were making in order to keep the rest of us safe," Kash said. "Seeing all this first hand made us feel there was much more that could be done to show that their sacrifices are appreciated."

In May, Kash and Dear Franks launched a new initiative called Hot Dogs for Heroes. Through a GoFundMe campaign, Kash is raising funds to provide hot dogs to first responders and front line personnel.

"Potential donors can donate, and we in turn will use 100 percent of the money for that purpose," Kash said.

Dear Franks of Deerfield is located at 843 Waukegan Road. Dear Franks of Niles is at 5699 W Touhy Ave. Dear Franks has been serving up delicious hot dogs, juicy burgers and Italian Beef in the North Shore since 1978. It is owned by the Rayyan and Kash families.

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To date, the campaign has donated more than 1,000 hot dog meals and had raised of $4,045 of a $5,000 goal on its GoFundMe page as of Thursday. Kash is shown in a series of photos donating hot dogs to Chicago Police Department's 24th District, MedEx Ambulance Service in Skokie, Rush University Medical Center, Northwest Community Hospital Emergency Room and Glenbrook Hospital ICU-COVID unit, among others.

"The response has been humbling, we knew there was interest from the community but were shocked at the amount of donations we raised in such a short time when it started," Kash said. "We love seeing how much our communities respect and support our front line heroes."

To learn more about Dear Franks, visit www.dearfranks.com. Find the GoFundMe page here.