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This Long Island restaurant owner is doing his part to deliver for hospital workers.
And he’s doing it under the cover of darkness.
Wantagh native and current Babylon resident John Murray, III, also the owner of Kilwins locations in Babylon and Patchogue, and The Hero Joint in Patchogue, has organized food deliveries to help frontline healthcare workers on the overnight shifts.
He’s also got a team of volunteers who are fanning out across Long Island — to hospitals in Nassau and Suffolk counties battling the COVID-19 outbreak — each morning at 1 a.m. to drop off food.
Last night, the crew delivered to nine hospitals.
Murray launched an online fundraiser this week to support his efforts. The gofundme.com campaign was nearing $5,500 as of Friday. Click here to donate.
“The food we currently are delivering is breakfast-type food because this is what the nurses want at 1 a.m.,” he told GreaterBabylon. “So the current menu consists of individual yogurts, granola bars, and cases of fruit apples/bananas. We will be transitioning to protein drinks and fruit shortly though, as yogurt supplies dwindle.”
Follow the group’s nightly rounds on Facebook!
He’s doing so in partnership with US Food Service, a foodservice distributor, and an occasional stop at Restaurant Depot in Bohemia.
Murray, who’s been involved with restaurant-to-hospital delivery efforts in Patchogue, noticed earlier this month that Nassau hospitals didn’t seem to be getting the same community support as those in Suffolk.
Then, a close family friend who’s a nurse tipped him off that overnight workers in all the hospitals were somewhat being overlooked when it came to donations.
“She’s an overnight nurse who had to eat an ice cream sandwich for breakfast because there was no other food for her,” he said. ‘Something in me snapped and I started the GoFundMe.
“I cannot blame the hospitals at all because they are dealing with something so crazy and unanticipated right now. So I set a conservative goal to feed as many medical personnel as possible in both counties.”
The hospitals being served include Long Island Community, Stony Brook, Southside, St. Catherine of Sienna, Good Samaritan, Syosset, North Shore LIJ, Nassau University Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, South Nassau/Mount Sinai, and St. Francis Hospital.
Murray says he’s looking to add as many locations as possible.
His volunteer team includes friends and relatives, such as his pal Justin Health, the owner of John Moore’s Deli in Bellmore, the Nassau command post.
“And one of my drivers in Nassau is a retired Nassau cop who is sympathetic to the often overlooked nightshift,” he said.
Top photo: John Murray, III, dropping off food at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore early this morning, Friday. (courtesy)
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