Local charity Grub 4 Scrubs helping restaurants, healthcare workers simultaneously

The 3rd shift ICU crew at Norton Audubon enjoyed a late-night diinner from Salsarita’s late Thursday from Salsarita’s, thanks to donations made to Grub 4 Scrubs. (Photo courtesy of Grub 4 Scrubs)

The local culinary scene is dealing with tough times thanks to the coronavirus-mandated statewide shutdown. But healthcare workers fighting the virus outbreak on the front lines are dealing with even tougher times. A new local charity concept is doing its best to help both at the same time.

Grub 4 Scrubs, created by Louisvillian Connie Coartney, operates by way of a Go Fund Me campaign that is tied to a Grub for Scrubs Facebook group. In the group, members can nominate healthcare groups they would like to see benefit from Grub 4 Scrubs in the form of a free meal from a local restaurant.

Donations pay for the meals, so the restaurants get some carry-out business, and the healthcare workers get lunch or dinner delivered to them at work at no cost to them.

“My husband and I were talking about ways to help local restaurants and caterers, while also showing our appreciation for our front line healthcare workers,” Coartney tells Hello Louisville, explaining how the concept originated.

The Go Fund Me campaign’s goal is $2,000, and as of this writing just over $1,300 in total has been donated. Coartney says around 250 meals have been delivered so far in Louisville, Shelbyville and Frankfort as well as a recent meal delivery to the ICU ward at UK Chandler Hospital, and that all nominations have been fulfilled thanks to the donations.

“Our donations are just coming in from people who’ve heard about the program and want to help,” she says.

To nominate a meal recipient in the healthcare field, do so in the Facebook group. In addition to the Go Fund Me campaign, donations also can be sent via Paypal (ccoartney@iglou.com) and Venmo (Connie-Coartney).