Feeding the Frontlines During and After Their Shifts

Employees across St. Luke’s University Health Network have been working tirelessly to keep our communities safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. To show gratitude and support their efforts, the Network has launched two important initiatives to keep frontline caregivers well fed during and after their shifts on campus: free cafeteria meals and the “Feeding the Frontlines” fundraising campaign to provide them with local restaurant gift cards.

Beginning in late March, employees were provided free breakfast, lunch, and dinner at all St. Luke’s cafeterias. The meals consist of a variety of items from a predetermined menu and include vegetarian options as well.

"We have had an overwhelming amount of positive response from staff who are very grateful to receive free meals while at work. In this stressful time, we are happy to be able to provide meals and give our frontline staff one less thing to worry about." Matthew Furlan General Manager Food Services at St. Luke’s Bethlehem

In addition to our Campuses providing meals, our community is also actively supporting our employees and local restaurants. Through our “Feeding the Frontlines” initiative, monetary donations will be used to purchase restaurant gift cards for frontline staff.

When cases of COVID-19 began to rise in our region, Larry and Amy Beans knew what it would mean for the caregivers at St. Luke’s — longer hours, more time away from family, and a truly heroic dedication to their work and their patients. The couple spared no time deciding how they would help. As one of the first supporters of the St. Luke’s “Feeding the Frontlines” initiative, Larry and Amy donated an incredible $10,000 for the purchase of hundreds of restaurant gift cards to help our employees feed their families after a long shift.

Amy and Larry Beans

"We’ve all been there,” says Larry Beans. “When you work a long and taxing day and you’re away from your family, the last thing you should have to worry about is coming home and cooking a meal. We hope these gift cards not only make life a little simpler for the heroes on the front lines, but also bring some joy to their loved ones at home."

Larry, who built his company Maurer & Scott Sales, Inc. from the ground up, is no stranger to the small business community, and knows how important this kind of support can be during uncertain times. As local restaurants are forced to close their doors to dine-in patrons, many are relying on delivery, take-out, and the purchase of gifts cards to make it through this crisis and remain open.

"The time to step up and show support is now,” urges Mr. Beans. “For Amy and me, we couldn’t think of a better way to say thank you to the clinicians working hard to save lives, the families supporting them, and our local restaurants who need us now more than ever."  

To make an online gift designated to the "Feeding the Frontlines" initiative, please visit sluhn.org/COVID-19Support and select "Feeding the Frontlines" from the drop-down menu.

To give by check, please make payable to St. Luke’s University Health Network, indicate that you would like your gift designated to "Feeding the Frontlines," and mail to:

St. Luke’s University Health Network
Development Office
801 Ostrum Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015

To learn more about what types of food donations are/are not being accepted at St. Luke’s, please visit sluhn.org/COVID-19Support or email feedingthefrontlines@sluhn.org

Media Contact:

Sam Kennedy, Corporate Communications Director, 484-526-4134, samuel.kennedy@sluhn.org

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 15,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and over 320 outpatient sites. With annual net revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the Lehigh Valley’s first and only regional medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 28 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 226 residents and fellows. St. Luke’s is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system with Medicare’s five- and four-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital. In 2019, three of IBM Watson Health’s 100 Top Hospitals were St. Luke’s hospitals. St. Luke’s University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health seven times total and five years in a row. St. Luke’s has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.