ENCINITAS — North County healthcare workers received complimentary meals from a beloved San Diego restaurant chain.
Luna Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant chain, recently announced the launch of its program, “Feeding the Frontline.” The program is dedicated to feeding at least 20,000 local healthcare workers, including those at UCSD Encinitas Cancer Center, Palomar Medical Center and Scripps Hospital Encinitas.
“Doing good is part of our brand DNA,” said Rich Pinnella, Luna Grill’s chief brand officer. “We did not furlough anyone and we have taken great strides to make this a reality for our company.
“We are using a two-pronged approach to the pandemic: One: innovation and two, doing good. I have seen and experienced the personal risks frontline workers take first hand when my sister was diagnosed with and passed away from the H1N1 influenza virus a few years ago.”
The company has also committed to feeding children in need.
Earlier in March Luna Grill introduced “The Good Card,” where for every $5 gift card increment purchased, Luna Grill is donating a fresh, healthy meal to a San Diego kid in need through The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, sharing the sentiment of “you keep the card, we feed the kids.”
Meals are being packaged and donated to multiple locations each week, and with Good Card sales to date, the company is pledging over 30,000 meals to the program.
“Since the shutdown of our public schools, many kids lost their daily source of a healthy meal,” Pinnella said. “Our internal goal when we launched this was to feed 10,000 kids… today we are over 33,000 meals pledged, and every week we are sending more and more meals out to kids in need.”
The company encouraged the public to join its program by purchasing a meal for someone in need. For more information, go to lunagrill.com/thegoodcard.
“Doing Good feels good, and when it makes people feel good, they do more,” Pinnella said.
