Takeout Tuesday Meal Distribution Tops 9,000 Mark
A total of 33 local restaurants and food distribution sites served a reported 9,013 meals during the second #KeepBooneHealthy Takeout Tuesday, held on April 14th. An additional four sites provided data on meals served this week, leading to a rise of 174 meals toward the community total. Including the Takeout Tuesdays on March 31st and April 7th, a total of 25,171 meals have been distributed by local restaurants and food distribution sites over the last three Tuesdays.
The effort was designed to encourage area residents to support local restaurants and food distribution programs during the COVID-19 crisis, while also complying with the directives listed in the State of North Carolina Stay-At-Home order.
Customers placed orders with local restaurants, utilized curbside, takeout, and delivery options, and enjoyed their meal in the confines of their home. They posted pictures of meals across various social media platforms and tagged posts with the name of the restaurant and the #KeepBooneHealthy hashtag.
This week’s community count was generated from the reporting of total meals served from 33 area restaurants and the Watauga County Schools meal distribution program.
Provided social distancing and Stay-at-Home guidelines are followed, the Takeout Tuesday promotion is scheduled to continue weekly through the month of April. AppHealthCare has endorsed the effort with the understanding that should a need for further tightening of the Stay-At-Home order become necessary, the promotion may need to be re-evaluated.
“Our local restaurants continue to appreciate the support being shown to them by our community, “said David Jackson, President/CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. “We had several restaurants report to us that Tuesday’s are their busiest days of the work week, and that overall, their takeout sales are growing now that people are more familiar with how the process works. We’ve seen more restaurants taking to social media to show menu items, daily specials, and just updates on how they are doing. People that are using the #KeepBooneHealthy hashtag are helping centralize more of those images online, thus bringing more attention to the businesses.”
In addition to supporting area restaurants and utilizing the Watauga County Schools meal distribution program, customers can purchase meals for Hospitality House. Social distancing guidelines have altered the organization’s ability to prepare meals for individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness.
Watauga County Schools distributed 20,000 meals last Friday, including shelf-stable meals to last into the early part of their Spring Break week. Since March 17, the system has distributed 82,282 meals for local school-aged children. Local organizers have teamed with the area Faith community to provide meals at the same school distribution sites this week.
The High Country Food Hub surpassed the 450 mark in total customers and has grown its overall customer base 368% percent since the beginning of March. As we get deeper into spring, their product offerings from local farmers continue to increase. Kindly Kitchen, Peddler Steakhouse, Ransom, F.A.R.M. Café, and Coyote Kitchen are among those continuing to help in distributing fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, and other food products to the local community.
“We can’t state enough how much this support is lifting up the local restaurant and food distribution community,” Jackson said. “Everyone involved has been working long hours while balancing difficult decisions about how to keep their already reduced staff employed and their businesses open. When they see people making an extra step to buy a meal or leaving some extra money on the tip line, the generosity and compassion being displayed help them stay positive.”
#KeepBooneHealthy is a community messaging campaign organized by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, with content creation and promotional assistance provided by Destination by Design and the Downtown Boone Development Association. Additional information can be found at www.facebook.com/keepboonehealthy.
For more information about a broad range of available assistance during the COVID-19 crisis, visit www.boonechamber.com/localresponse.
If you have questions, please contact the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce at 828-264-2225 or email david@boonechamber.com.
If you have questions, please contact the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce at 828-264-2225 or email david@boonechamber.com.