Subway Owner Nears Delivery Of 5,000 Free Meals Since Coronavirus

ASHBURN, VA — Vince Carbone, owner of a Subway restaurant in Ashburn who switched to helping nurses and first responders when the coronavirus crisis hit in March, is on track this week to reach 5,000 free meals delivered. The impressive milestone wouldn't have been possible without Carbone dedicating himself to the project, along with getting help from the many friends he has made during his 18 years in business.

Carbone set up a Facebook group called "NorthernVA Adopt a Nurse or Doctor" to help feed workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. He then expanded the program to include first responders, grocery store employees and other front-line workers.

By the end of April, Carbone had delivered 1,000 free meals to both daytime and night-shift workers at hospitals and other facilities across Northern Virginia. Two-and-a-half months later, Carbone is approaching the 5,000 free meal mark.

"Nearing 5,000 seemed like a goal that was going to take a long time to reach," Carbone said in an email to Patch. "My plan in the beginning was to survive three months. After that, I was hoping we all would have been back to normal."

As the coronavirus crisis continues, though, Carbone said he sees the 5,000 meal mark as a stepping stone to help more. He said he's worried about the fall and winter, like the rest of the world, and wants to be prepared to help when the time comes if conditions grow worse in Northern Virginia.

"Reaching 5,000 has made me feel so fortunate and blessed to live and work in community that really cares for one another," Carbone said. "None of this would be possible if it was not for the generous people donating."

Melanie Kelly, the mother of a son who plays baseball at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, joined Carbone's effort in March with an offer to donate $4,000 she had raised from baseball families. Kelly had remembered Carbone's generosity to her son's team and wanted to help out.

One of the busiest times of the year for his Subway restaurant is springtime when he provides up to 200 boxed meals per day to area sports teams. All of that business dried up this year due to the cancellation of spring sports at local high schools.

Kelly also began to handle the delivery schedule for Carbone, reaching out to the people at hospitals and nursing homes to find out where the food should be dropped off.

Along with Kelly and other local residents, Carbone has received donations from people who live in other parts of Virginia and across the country. Donations to his free meal program can be made through Venmo — @ashburnfarmsubway — or by sending a check to Subway, 43330 Junction Plaza, Suite 186, Ashburn, VA 20147.

At his Subway restaurant in Ashburn Farm, the inside dining room has reopened. Carbone said business has picked up some but nowhere near where it was prior to the crisis. He's been able to bring more employees back, which has given him some much-needed time off from the hours he was keeping when he was handling both curbside pickup and delivering more than a hundred meals per day. His restaurant's hours are now 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"I still try and take every delivery," he said. "It's the best part of my day."

Along with hospitals, Carbone said he has delivered meals to a barber shop. He wants barber shops — and similar types of businesses that people may not consider essential — to know that the community supports them and wishes them well given how long they were shut down.

On Monday, Carbone was back on the road, delivering more than a dozen free meals to the Ashburn station of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. "A lot of donors have asked for us to bring meals to law enforcement to show support for what they do," he said.

Over the past couple months, Carbone said he has seen many hospitals back off from having food delivered.

"The great news about that is that they have not been busy and our social distancing and lockdown methods have been working," he said. "Now that other places have opened, we have been able to stop by local doctor offices and smaller businesses to bring them a meal."