Local Restaurants Deliver First “Meals for Heroes” to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital

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5 mins read

Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie & Frantonio’s Italian Deli & Cafe delivered hundreds of donated meals Sunday to feed doctors, nurses and staff at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. They’re among nearly twenty area restaurants that will be providing meals purchased by the community in a new Meals for Heroes initiative supporting local health workers who are stepping up to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community members purchased more than 550 meals during the first two days of the Meals for Heroes campaign, introduced this week by The Shepherd’s Circle in partnership with Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. Known for their annual autumn Barn Dance fundraiser, the nonprofit organization is made up young families committed to supporting the health care needs of the Barrington community.

Today’s care packages were the first of 360 boxes Ambrosia alone is planning to deliver this week bringing some “Sweet relief to our frontline health care heroes! ‘Thank you’ hardly seems enough,” according to Ambrosia’s Facebook page. “We’re humbled by this outpouring of support and love that inspires us all tremendously.”


Shepherd’s Circle co-founder, Lauren Hills says so far they’ve lined up nearly two dozen area restaurants ready to deliver meals for Good Shepherd workers in the days ahead. It’s a big boost to both local businesses and the health care providers who are preparing the hospital and helping patients fight the virus right here in Barrington.

“Our goal is twofold. First, we want to show support and gratitude to our local health care workers who are making a lot of sacrifices and really battling this pandemic on the front lines,” Lauren says. “We hope that, by starting a program like this, we can honor our health care heroes while also supporting local restaurants as they work to weather this storm economically.”

The manager at Palatine Inn, Helen Sarantopoulos says their phones started ringing early this morning with people placing Meals for Heroes orders to be delivered to Good Shepherd Hospital on Tuesday. Helen says they are more than happy to take part.

“The Palatine Inn has been our family business for 42 years and this is the first time we’ve ever had to shut down like this. It’s very scary,” Helen says. “We have 29 employees who count on this income. They live tip by tip, check by check and none of our servers are working now. I don’t know how long we’re going to be closed. We could survive a few more weeks but what if this goes on for months? Then what? We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Helen says supporting The Shepherd Circle’s Meals for Heroes program offers a little relief in more ways than one. “Being in this industry, food is our number one thing. It’s all about comfort. And why not take care of our doctors and nurses who are literally at war with the virus. We hope to do what we can to bring them some comfort at this time.”

If you’d like to participate by purchasing a meal or meals, all you need to do is call the restaurant to place an order. Just pay with a credit card over the phone and the restaurant will deliver the meal you donated to the hospital. The Shepherd’s Circle will update the schedule on their Facebook page frequently as more restaurants are added.

Here’s the List of Dates & Restaurants:

Please contact the restaurants directly to purchase “Meals for Heroes”. The deadline for orders is 48 hours before delivery.

Monday, April 6th

  • Lunch will be provided by Region Kitchen and Bar in Barrington @ $14/person + tax. Call 224-848-4005 to place your order before Saturday, April 4th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Jersey Mike’s in Lake Zurich @ $10/person + tax. Call 224-662-4970 to place your order before Saturday, April 4th at 7pm.

Tuesday, April 7th

  • Lunch will be provided by Kooker’s Restaurant in Lake Zurich @ $10/person + tax. Call 847-382-3309 to place your order before Sunday, April 5th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Gianni’s Cafe’ in Palatine @ $15/person + tax. Call 847-991-1416 to place your order before Sunday, April 5th at 7pm. If no one is available to take your call, please email your order to info@gianniscafe.com to place your order.

Wednesday, April 8th

  • Lunch will be provided by Palatine Inn Restaurant in Palatine @ $10/person + tax. Call 847-991-4430 to place your order before Monday, April 6th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Subway Barrington in Barrington @ $7/person + tax. Call 847-382-7827 to place your order before Monday, April 6th at 7pm. If no one is available to take your call, please email your order to Tiffany775@aol.com to place your order.

Thursday, April 9th

  • Lunch will be provided by Frantonio’s Italian Cafe & Catering in Barrington @ $10/person + tax. Call 224-422-4436 to place your order before Tuesday, April 7th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Kooker’s Restaurant in Lake Zurich @ $10.00/person + tax. Call 847-382-3309 to place your order before Tuesday, April 7th at 7pm.

Friday, April 10th

  • Lunch will be provided by Eggville Cafe in Cary @ $8/person + tax. Call 847-516-4300 to place your order before Wednesday, April 8th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Franco’s Pescheria in Lake Zurich @ $16/person + tax. Call 847-438-4900 to place your order before Wednesday, April 8th at 7pm.

Saturday, April 11th

  • Lunch will be provided by Agio Italian Bistro in Palatine @ $13/person + tax. Call 847-991-2150 to place your order before Wednesday, April 9th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Canteen Restaurant in Barrington @ $10/person + tax. Call 847-382-0900 to place your order before Wednesday, April 9th at 7pm. If no one is available to take your call, please email your order to canteenrestaurant@yahoo.com.

Sunday, April 12th

  • Lunch will be provided by Jimmy D’s District in Arlington Heights @ $10/person + tax. Call 847-255-1340 to place your order before Friday, April 10th at noon.
  • Dinner will be provided by Big Iron Horse Barbecue in Barrington @ $12.50/person + tax. Call 847-382-4766 to place your order before Friday, April 10th at 7pm.
  • Also on Sunday, April 12th, a very special Easter goody bag will be provided by SweetSpot of Barrington @ $14/person + tax. Call 847-381-2320 to place your order before Friday, April 10th at 7pm. If no one is available to take your call, please email your order to Sweetspot102@comcast.net.

The Shepherd’s Circle says thank you to those who have already purchased more than 2,300 Meals for Heroes for the first 16 meal deliveries, totaling over $28,000 in restaurant sales! The deadline for these delivery dates has already passed.

Founded in 2014, The Shepherd’s Circle is a not-for-profit organization made up of young families supporting initiatives that enhance patient care at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. Their annual Barn Dance has been raising funds for Good Shepherd’s Integrative Medicine Program, which will provide alternative, non-traditional care to complement a patient’s treatment plan. Integrative medicine uses evidence-based practices to reduce pain and speed up recovery for patients. Learn more about their mission at Facebook.com/ShepherdsCircle.

Located at 450 W. Highway 22 in Barrington, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is one of 12 hospitals that are part of Advocate Aurora Health, the 10th largest not-for-profit, integrated health system in the United States. With 176 beds, Good Shepherd Hospital is the workplace of 1,590 team members including 530 nurses and 770 physicians in 62 specialities. In 2017, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital completed a four-year modernization project to ensure health care delivery remains outstanding and attuned to the evolving needs of the community. Learn more at AdvocateHealth.com/gshp.

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