Community creates program to support local restaurants and nourish hospital workers

The Santa Fe community is rallying to feed first responders and support local restaurants with additional takeout business during the stay at home orders through a new program called, “Santa Fe Feeds First Responders.” The program collected ＄4,000, in the first two days after going live on Monday with online donations and 20 restaurants have signed up to participate.

All tax-deductible donations collected will be used as payment for restaurants to prepare healthy meals, cooked to order, for hospital workers and first responders. This support will be crucial to make sure that all doctors, nurses, techs, and other essential staff are properly nourished and receive a bit of “love” from the community to be able enjoy at their leisure with family as the strain of the Coronavirus crises continues.

“Tourism Santa Fe is grateful to be a partner in producing Santa Fe Feeds First Responders. We hope this is one of many actionable ways our community combines support of our first line responders and the wonderful restaurant and hospitality community,” said Randy Randall, Tourism Santa Fe Executive Director.

"Knowing that our local hospitals could become overwhelmed in the near future and having heard of similar programs in larger cities across the country, I wanted to find a way to scale a first responder program for Santa Fe. Within a few days the Santa Fe Feeds First Responders effort was underway,” said Chris Pearson Kramer, President and Owner of Trafficdeveloper a local web development company.

How Santa Fe Feeds First Responders Program Works:
- Donors give funds through the website santafefeedsfirstresponders.org
- Santa Fe Wine & Chile (SFWC) collects the donation as the non-profit fiscal agent
- Program issues ＄20 gift certificates to first responders for use at participating Santa Fe restaurant partners
- Recipient uses ＄20 gift certificate as cash to pay for their to-go order from any participating restaurant
- Restaurants collect the certificates as they are used by recipient and send to SFWC for reimbursement
- SFWC reimburses restaurant ＄20 per ＄20 certificate used
- The certificates will be valid for use through June 30, 2020

“The Santa Fe Wine and Chile board of directors is giving 100% support to this effort to help support the first responders and local health care workers by serving as the fiscal agent and providing the coordination for this important program,” said Michael Trujillo, President Wine and Chile Fiesta Board of Directors. “We could not be more proud to support these critical workers as well as the restaurants that are struggling to survive during this difficult time.”

Program coordinators will work with the management teams at CHRISTUS St. Vincent, Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center and the Santa Fe Service Unit of Indian Health Service, to provide certificates to each location. It will be at the discretion of management at each location to distribute to hospital staff. With continued success of the program, coordinators will then provide certificates to city and county first responders including law enforcement, EMT and other front line personnel.

Santa Fe Feeds First Responders was created by Chris Pearson Kramer, President and Owner of Trafficdeveloper and Associate Broker with Sotheby’s International Real Estate, who quickly brought together partners including Santa Fe Wine & Chile, Artisan Minds, Anne Staveley Photography, Hutton Broadcasting and Tourism Santa Fe.

Participating Restaurants:
315 Restaurant and Wine Bar
Arable
Arroyo Vino
Blue Corn Cafe
Cowgirl BBQ
Henry & The Fish
La Boca
La Plazuela
L’ Olivier
Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen
Modern General
Osteria d’ Assisi/Lino’s Pizzeria
Paper Dosa
Rio Chama
Rooftop Pizzeria
Rowley Farmhouse Ales
Sassella
Sazon
Sweetwater Harvest Kitchen
Tesuque Village Market
The Burrito Company
Vinaigrette

As additional restaurants join the program visit www.facebook.com/SFFFRS for an updated list.

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Media Contacts:
Joanne Hudson, Public Relations Manager
TOURISM Santa Fe
Tel: 505 955 6221
Email:jghudson@santafenm.gov