Restaurant Owner Helping The Helpers During Coronavirus Shutdown
This article originally appeared on the Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch
RACINE, WI — When Douglas Nicholson, the owner of Racine's Ivanhoe Pub and Eatery on Main Street faced a mandatory shutdown due to the coronavirus public health emergency, he wasn't sure what his next move would be.
"I employ 30 people at The Ivanhoe alone. The thought of having to lay them off is heart-wrenching. In 18 years as owner, this is by far our biggest challenge. It's a tough spot that a lot of small businesses are finding themselves in right now," he said this week. “I had to close down The Brickhouse, Main Hub, EZ Access ATM, Pearle Vision, and Hiram’s Place. I was really hoping to keep at least one place open if I could.”
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Nicholson said friends Robyn and Mike Gardner suggested setting up a campaign to raise money for Ivanhoe’s to feed the doctors, nurses, and first-responders.
"Robyn and Mike made me realize that there were a lot of people on the front lines who probably weren't getting hot meals. This was an ingenious way The Ivanhoe could help, while keeping us up and running," Nicholson said.
How To Help
You can call The Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery directly at 262-637-4730 and ask to pay for a meal.
Or, you can make an online donation through their Go Fund Me page: Paying It Forward One Meal At A Time
The first campaign raised $2,000 in a few days. With that, the restaurant was able to deliver more than 200 meals to Emergency Room workers, first responders, local urgent care facilities as well as The Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization and the Woman’s Resource Center.
Nicholson said making the deliveries made a deep impression. "To experience what it’s like to walk into an ER with a big tray of food and tell them it’s for the doctors and nurses? Their response and gratitude was overwhelming.”
The second campaign is underway now and is more than half-way to reaching its goal of $10,000.
"To see the outpouring of support, it's been extremely humbling. It's a privilege to be able to do something positive at a time when many people are facing so much uncertainty. The Pay It Back 1 Meal at a Time program has been able to keep 10 of the Ivanhoe’s team working. It's something everyone can feel good about."
Win-Wins like this are pretty rare. So, if you’d like to support Ivanhoe’s and pay it forward, there are a couple of ways to do so.
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