Pizza for CHEO: WE DID IT
Before heading into an important meeting this morning, I checked Twitter and saw a message that totally changed the course of my day!
@AngiePoirier @dylanblackradio @SamLapradeCFRE @PatriciaBoalCTV @StuntmanStu @mattskubeCTV @Denise_Fung I checked in with friends who work @CHEO to offer help. They said staff are not taking time to eat or have breaks. Are there restaurants who can send food? Please RT.
— Dawn Pickering (@CDawnPickering) November 10, 2022
You know my history with CHEO, and since I was looking to record some of my radio show (weekdays, 9A-2P on Chez 106) to accomodate my in-person meeting from 9-10A and I thought, ‘I can definitely amplify this message!’ Very on brand for my radio show… Figured I was good to pitch in at least two pizzas for the ER staff… so I put the call out to my listeners, “anyone want to buy a pizza for the ER staff at CHEO?”
Following my morning meeting, when I logged in to the on-air computer in the control room, I was floored. E-transfers were already waiting for me in my inbox thanks to a brief mention of Dawn’s tweet (shared above). Businesses vouched pizza pies! The ball was rolling and it was rolling fast and hard. Things took a turn when CHEO informed me that they could not accept any ‘sharable’ meal (like a pizza) due to viral contamination risk (of course). I pivoted in the moment and turned my massive cheese/pep/veggie pizza order into individual serve meals. Wow, did the Pizza Pizza on St. Laurant hate me! (Sorry!)
**Please note: I have been informed that CHEO has changed some protocols to allow their staff to accept pizzas, thought individually portioned meals are highly preferred when possible.
I promised everyone who contributed that I would NOT deposit any funds until the food was delivered! Well…
We delivered!
Oh wow, we delivered:
5 x Veggie Panzerotti
5 x Canadian Panzerotti
10 x Cheese Panzerotti
10 x Pepperoni Panzerotti
5 x Chicken Bite Meal (5)
5 x Classic Chicken Sandwich
5 x Plant Based Chick'n Sandwich
5 x Popcorn Chicken
5 x Chicken Bites (10)
5 x Jalapeno Poppers
5 x Cauliflower Bites
5 x Deep Fried Pickles
5 x Single Order Fries
5 x Sweet Potato Fries
Working with Dawn on this ‘Pizza for CHEO ER staff’ initiative really spiralled and it took over my morning. I was forced to record my whole radio show (which also included an interview which I had to bump to tomorrow) and, between 9A-11A, we raised over 700$.
All of that money went to buying food. I am not involved in the food service industry. I am not an event coordinator. Today I was just a grown up CHEO kid with a truck and a credit card.
Below is the PROOF of PURCHASE and an edited list of donors (I’m not going to give out your personal information). I’m only posting these pics and sharing this information as a Thank You (and receipt) for those who threw money at me all because of Dawn’s idea.
Those who crunched the numbers (above) may have noticed the total donated was $685 - I put in the rest. The total order (which you can see by clicking the black button above this text) was: $712.69.
I hope the food was enjoyed! It’s more of a lack in TIME than it is a lack in food supply, I’m guessing. At the very least, I hope this lets our CHEO urgent care workers know that we are thinking of them.
Dawn’s tweet is also still giving, into the weekend, thanks to Ray and everyone at Gabriel Pizza, I hear! What a wonderful idea and a massive shoutout to all who contributed!
Kristy, Michael, Mike (Connie’s Custom Tailoring), Marc, Mark, Kim, Jean-Pierre, Meghan, Genevieve, Patricia, Dawn, Julien, Daniel, other Dan of Dan’s Mobile Marine - the biggest of thanks to you for making this food drop possible! It was one tweet that turned into a large amount of food. No strings. No stress. All love.
Thank you, too, to the staff at Pizza Pizza - 1910 St. Laurent location. You essentially shut down to create this order. I was very shocked to see that many of your items (which I assumed would be frozen and then fried) were HAND MADE, and served FRESH. I am so sorry this happened very last minute and you rocked it! Additional thanks to Bella Vista Restaurant who were the first to call the radio station to offer support. You are all wonderful and help make this city GREAT!