The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has sparked a new mission for a downtown eatery.
As the kitchen stays open around the clock for carryout and delivery orders, Francis & Mount is making special deliveries to hospital workers and public safety personnel along with underserved families with limited access to food during the crisis. #ProjectFeedtheFaM has fed more than 300 people this month.
“Running a restaurant’s a lot of work and running this project is also a lot of work, but I think that now it’s time where we buckle down and we run towards the fight to make sure everybody’s taken care of. That’s the need right now,” owner Isaac Weliver.
With access to dining rooms restricted, local restaurant owners are reaching beyond their storefront to feed essential workers and individuals hunkering down at home.
Downtown cafes have enlisted their distributors to sell groceries to customers, deliver meals to seniors and served up pizzas to police, firefighters and grocery store employees.
On St. Patrick’s Day, as Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered restaurants and bars to stop serving dine-in customers, Weliver reached out to other local businesses to sponsor meals for the public safety community.
Morgan’s Glass & Paint sponsored sandwiches for the Crawfordsville Fire Department and Crossroads Furniture Co. helped provide 40 meals to the surgical unit and emergency department at Franciscan Health Crawfordsville.
Stout Heating & Cooling sponsored meals for the Crawfordsville Police Department and Tom’s Marine Sales supported food for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Insomnia Cookies of West Lafayette donated cookies for all of the meals, which Weliver sees as a morale booster for emergency workers.
More food runs are planned for the police department and hospital.
“We’re definitely open for more suggestions on places that need donations,” Weliver said.
Francis & Mount is asking local churches to reach out to the restaurant with the names of families in need of meals.
A local former truck driver is teaming up with the restaurant to feed truckers at the Pilot Travel Center this weekend.
“I want them to understand that we do appreciate what they do,” said Robinson, owner of Rooster’s Revenge, a dog obedience training business.
Francis & Mount will set up a grill to serve hot dogs to truckers beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday. RT Insurance is also sponsoring the project.
To donate to #ProjectFeedtheFaM, search the hashtag on Facebook or call 765-376-4211. Checks can be sent with #ProjectFeedtheFaM in the memo line to 131 N. Washington St., Crawfordsville, IN 47933.
