FLAG of Summit Awarded $171,000
Submitted by Julie Adams
FLAG (Frontline Appreciation Group) of Summit, a COVID-19 response that supports local restaurants and frontline workers, announced it has been awarded $171,000 from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). Created by Katie Curran Darcy of Summit in response to the pandemic, FLAG of Summit provides fresh meals to those working on the front lines, while supporting local restaurants struggling with COVID related impacts.
Since March 2020, FLAG of Summit has raised more than $180,000 from individual donors and corporate sponsors to purchase more than 20,000 meals from local restaurants. Meals are delivered by volunteers to health care workers at Overlook Medical Center and surrounding hospitals. The state grant, one of 27 awarded through NJEDA’s Sustain and Serve NJ Program, will double FLAG of Summit’s support of local restaurants.
“One of the most heartwarming stories of outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic is how FLAG of Summit helped to connect local restaurants with dedicated frontline medical workers and feed them for free,” said Summit Mayor Nora Radest. “I am extremely pleased that this grant will allow FLAG to continue its essential support of our healthcare heroes. The grant is equally wonderful news for restaurant owners and their employees.”
Darcy was determined to take action when businesses closed and local hospital staff became overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. “I started reaching out to people after learning of a similar effort in a neighboring town,” Darcy said. “Everyone I contacted was nervous and apprehensive about COVID-19, but they all wanted to contribute. Restaurants that were facing financial hardship still wanted to donate food because they are so invested in our community.”
As the economy continues to recover from the pandemic, restaurants and frontline workers are still struggling. FLAG of Summit will use the NJEDA funding to expand meal delivery to local hospital, police, fire, emergency service and vaccination site workers. “COVID numbers have stabilized, but many health care workers are facing pandemic-related fatigue and PTSD. This food is a tangible and sustaining thank you, and a wonderful way to support our restaurants,” Darcy said.
Seven restaurants have been approved for the NJEDA funds: Towne Deli, Pizza Vita, Village Trattoria, Sunny Asia, Fiorino Ristorante & Bar, Peppercorn Diner, and FIN Raw Bar and Kitchen. Additional businesses have applied for approval. Businesses interested in participating are encouraged to contact FLAG of Summit on Facebook.
“We appreciate this grant because it helps FLAG give us and our entire team the opportunity to do what we love with a sense of pride,” said Ilir Bitici, co-owner of Fiorino, which has been working with the program since last March. “We can earn while simultaneously contributing.”
“When the pandemic first shook our world, Pizza Vita volunteered to donate food to first responders because it was the right thing to do,” said Rocco Flores, owner of Pizza Vita, another restaurant that began providing meals when the pandemic started. “We were thrilled to hear from Katie Darcy a couple of weeks later to advise us we would be compensated. It just goes to show you the value of simple acts of kindness.”
FLAG of Summit receives fiscal sponsorship from The Summit Foundation, which collects tax deductible contributions on behalf of the organization. FLAG of Summit receives 100% of the donations received. “Katie represents the very best of Summit,” said Julie Keenan, president of The Summit Foundation. “She runs FLAG as a volunteer, managing restaurant orders and hospital deliveries out of the back of her minivan.”
For more information, contact FLAG of Summit on Facebook. To donate, visit summitforever.org.
The Summit Foundation fosters philanthropy by identifying local needs and offering donors flexible ways to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors. Since 2010, it has invested $9.6 million in the Summit area, including $6 million through more than 430 competitive grants to tax-exempt organizations that serve the community.
