Simply put, without our frontline health workers, there would be no current health services for thousands of local Roswell families. Frontline health workers are the backbone of effective health systems, and they are often based in the community they serve.
While the restaurant and hospitality industries have been hit with the brunt of the COVID struggles, it pales in comparison to the struggles of the front line workers who manage testing sites and provide bedside care in hospitals. It's a struggle that Chef Nate Armstrong recognized and has made an aim to impact. “During such difficult times in our community, we wanted to find the best way to share and show our appreciation for our local frontline workers. We have had such tremendous support from our community, we felt it is important to pay it forward to those who put their lives at risk every day for our health and well-being” said Armstrong, Owner of Big Oak Tavern.
In 2020, at the height of the first wave of COVID, Chef Nate leveraged Big Oak Tavern to lead multiple community initiatives.
School Meal Program: Restaurant-led initiative that focused on feeding over 1250 children that were without food due to mandatory shelter in place orders.
Community Blood Drive: Organized a community blood drive in partnership with Carl Black dealership, which helped in collecting more than 127 pints of blood.
Hero Meals: Through community donations, Big Oak Tavern was able to feed more than nine COVID ICU floors (600 front line staff) and two fire departments.
With the recent uptick in COVID cases a few months back, Nate took his Hero Meals to the next level and partnered with hospital and county CEOs to get meals to those most impacted on the frontlines. Through community donations, Nate used proceeds to help feed the clinical resources tirelessly managing COVID in the community. “Our aim was to surpass efforts from 2020-2021. Thanks to the support of our community, we are pleased to share that we recently served our 3,000th Hero Meal. We intend to provide thousands more over the course of 2022. The program will continue indefinitely to support the heroes that impact our lives in a positive way.”
Some examples of Big Oak Hero Meals menu include smoked chicken, brisket, and ribeye steaks, along with heaping sides of mashed potatoes, collard greens and steamed seasonal veggies. Each meal includes a protein, starch, and vegetable.
Partner with Nate and The Big Oak Tavern to feed our frontline workers.
GoFund.me/f/BigOakTavern-Hero-Meals-For-Front-Line-Workers