Neighbor News
Dine 11 Long Island Partners with LISG and La Piazza
Local Private School Parent Association Supports Efforts to keep Health Care Heroes energized
(April 18, 2020) – Over a month into the COVID-19 crisis, front line hospital workers are still
working round-the-clock to care for afflicted patients. The Long Island chapter of the non-profit
organization, Dine11(c)(3) has served nearly 1000 meals from local restaurants to
overextended doctors, nurses, technicians and cleaning staff within ERs and ICUs. Dine11 uses
tax-deductible donations to purchase meals from local restaurants, including La Piazza of
Melville, Diwan of Hicksville, the Curry Club of Patchogue, which in turn helps them stay in
business.
The idea was born just a few weeks ago, when a group of parents from Long Island School for
the Gifted (LISG.org) of South Huntington had to cancel their annual fundraiser due to COVID.
So instead, they quickly shifted their focus, and created Dine11 Long Island, helping to feed
frontline hospital workers inside busy Emergency Rooms and Intensive Care Units around the
island.
“The restaurant industry is also in crisis. To honor social distancing rules and keep
their staff and customers safe, owners had to decide to modify their services or close their doors
altogether. This caused a chain reaction of job loss, economic insecurity and stress,” says
Dine11 Long Island co-founder, Stacey Jawitz.
Committee members, Stacey Jawitz, Shradda Dessai, Dr. Ambika Katriyar and Dr. Sujata
Gupta coordinate with local restaurants to deliver the meals to hospitals. To date, six hospitals
have signed up to receive meals and 11 restaurants are preparing meals. More hospitals and
restaurants are being added daily.
After a first round of crowd-sourced funding with the LISG Parent Association, the team joined
Dine11, which is aligned with March On and Future Coalition, as their non-profit fiscal sponsor.
Anyone interested in supporting this effort can make tax-deductible donations to Dine11. Every
dollar raised, (minus bank processing fees) helps coordinate purchasing food and delivering it to
healthcare workers in ERs and ICUs across Long Island. The goal is to deliver up to three to
four meals a day to facilities in need.
The response from the health care workers, as well as restaurant staff, have been resoundingly
positive. One grateful doctor said: “Thank you for all of the delicious food, it gives us
nourishment but really boosts morale. It’s always the highlight of these the darkest days.”
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