Kindness is Sweet!

For those who observe, Easter and Passover are beautiful opportunities for reflections on faith, the values that unite us, and the family and friends who give us purpose and  meaning. It is also an occasion for sweets of every kind. Reese’s eggs, anyone? Sweetness has also inspired these good news stories of creative responses to COVID-19.

1. Project 351 Service Hero alum and pastry chef extraordinaire Joanne Chang is much beloved by our community -- and by legions of fans of Flour, Myers and Chang, and her cookbooks and television appearance. Our admiration deepens for her relentless leadership -- alongside her husband Christopher Myers  -- to end hunger, champion women and girls, and support the restaurant community. On Instagram, she reflected on the roots of her love and devotion to her colleagues, “We spend more time with each other than our actual families.” So, when COVID-19 began to devastate the hospitality industry, Joanne went to work! She designates 100% of proceeds of every bag of Flour granola, muesli, cookbook, gift cards, and merchandise to The Restaurant Strong Fund and an Employee Emergency Relief Fund, she established to support her team. In addition, Joanne distributes healthy boxes of produce to her team members and bakes her famous cakes, cookies, and scones to help raise more resources for the Restaurant Strong Fund.

2.Is there anybody who deserves appreciation more than the incredible heroes on the frontlines of this pandemic? Quincy’s Ginger Betty’s Bakery bakes up that gratitude in “Breaking with Betty”, which raises funds to supply sweet treats to local nurses, doctors, police, fire, EMT, and store employees. The team of bakers pour lots of love into their famous icing and gingerbread, as a symbol of thankfulness and as delicious fuel for the tireless efforts of our heroes.

3. Ginger Betty has a soul sister in Chicago --  Sarmie Sister Sweets! Priscilla Gupana is a co-founder, baker, small business owner, Mom  -- and doctor! Together, with her sister, they’ve launched a ‘health heroes cookie series’.  Priscilla bakes these late at night to relieve stress after her shift as doctor and as tribute to her medical  peers. Priscilla reflected, “Who are our new MVPs? It’s the health heroes. People who are working day in and day out to keep people healthy and alive.” With cookies as her canvas, Priscilla creates portraits of inspiring health care workers, as a message of hope and gratitude, “Thank you, from one physician to another, for being a beacon of light in such a dark time.”

4. There’s no shortage of sweetness or generosity at our beloved Dunkins! Yesterday, Dunkin’ announced that $1.25 million in emergency funding has been granted to health and hunger relief organizations across the country. Add to that, Dunkin team members have delivered more than 10,000 cups of coffee and 20,000 baked goods to more than 20,000 healthcare workers.“The heroic people and organizations keeping this country running during such an uncertain time can count on Dunkin’ to have their backs,” says Scott Murphy, president, Dunkin’ Americas.