Feed the Frontlines Detroit program boosting morale for essential workers and restaurateurs

(FOX 2) - Feed the Frontlines Detroit is a new program that allows the City of Detroit, through donations, to buy food from Detroit restaurants to feed those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis.

Yum Village is one of nearly 100 restaurants selected so far. Their first job will be this week.

“On Thursday we are preparing meals for around 225 different folks from different precincts,” owner and Chief Villager Godwin Ihentogue says. “My morale is up. I’m here feeding the troops.”

He says his morale is up not only because of this good deed but also because the program provides a monetary boost for his restaurant, as many have been forced to shut down or only offer curbside service during the crisis.  

“While we're in the spotlight as a city, that’s only because we're doing the right thing,” he says. “There's an African Proverb that goes you can go fast alone but you can go further together and more so than ever the City is standing unified.”

Rose's Fine Food is another Detroit eatery participating in the program. They’re working to feed frontline workers at an emergency room.

Owner Molly Mitchell believes the benefits of the program go further than anticipated.

“Through this effort also able to support vendors because I'm able to continue buying from local people and keeping the local economy going. So it really helps, it helps like the local economy and also getting food to the people who need it who are helping us fight COVID-19,” she says.

The program is still in need of more restaurants to participate.

“We'll ask you some questions about capacity, how many people you can serve. We make sure that you’re doing it obviously to the cleaning standards that are necessary and then we do a matchmaking,” explains Charity Dean who works for the City.

Right now the program has enough funding to last three weeks, so they’re in need of more donations.

“Quicken Loans’ community fund is doing a match, so if we raise $25,000 additional dollars they’re going to match that. And then Big Sean also gave a donation and so we’re just excited,” Dean says.

To learn more about Feed the Frontlines Detroit and either sign up or make a donation, click here.