Fuel Hope Kitchen Launches To Provide 200,000 Meals For Frontline Workers In Remote Areas

DENVER, Dec. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fuel Hope Kitchen (FHK) – formerly known as Fuel Denver Frontlines – is looking to the future while honoring its previous accomplishments under a new moniker. Founded by Birdcall and The Tuchman Family Foundation, the newly formed organization has partnered with Centura Health, TTEC, and Shamrock Foods to create a unique group that is designed by the community for the community with a core mission of delivering meals to the frontline heroes working at hospitals in insecure food areas outside of the Greater Denver region.

This collection of local organizations has aligned their resources in order to help the healthcare system on a statewide level. With a generous grant from The Tuchman Family Foundation and the support of Centura Health and other donors, FHK launched operations in a matter of days and has begun preparing thousands of meals in TTEC's donated kitchen space, while Shamrock Foods is distributing the packaged meals across the state. FHK delivers about 6,000 low-cost meals on a weekly basis (every Wednesday and Friday) to Centura Health hospitals located in Pueblo, Summit County, Colorado Springs and Cañon City. They have set their goal of delivering 200,000 meals by this spring.

This initiative will support thousands of frontline workers and their families during this dire time. The focus has been redirected to these remote areas because oftentimes they are overlooked, but are in just as much need as a Denver-metro hospital. These meals are important for the frontline worker families who may have been financially impacted as well and to have some semblance of joy to gather around the dinner table.

"It is our social responsibility to give back to those who are serving the community day and night. This is not a handout. This is our way of giving a gift and a moment of peace to enjoy a meal for those who need it. We have the power of action and a little can go a long way to make a big difference," says Peter Newlin, CEO of Birdcall.

The talented corporate team coordinating the menu efforts consist of Jean-Philippe Failyau, founder and head chef, Brad Murray, executive kitchen manager, and Caleb Benton, director of operations, all of Gastamo Group (Birdcall's parent organization), who create new items each week. The meals are thoughtfully created to be balanced with fresh and high-quality ingredients to fuel the body and mind. This initiative has allowed Birdcall to rehire their employees and reposition them in various roles of delivery, food packaging, cooking and food prep – all within the government issued health guidelines. As FHK and Birdcall continue to grow their operations exponentially, they anticipate adding more staff to their team in the near future.

As the second wave of the virus strikes, FHK is seeking additional funds to ensure healthcare workers in outlying areas are not overlooked. The goal is to deliver 200,000 meals across the state through the spring. FHK has raised over $200,000 this month toward its $600,000 goal. FHK continues to actively fundraise to meet the critical need. 

"Frontline healthcare workers have made incredible sacrifices for our community.  Our hope is to provide these heroes some relief, particularly in areas that have been overlooked, and build awareness for the urgent need for food in remote areas," says Ken Tuchman, Chairman, Founder and CEO of TTEC. 

Currently, 90% of Colorado hospitals are at or above capacity – many much higher. These numbers will continue to fluctuate, but both Penrose-St. Francis in Colorado Springs and St. Mary-Corwin in Pueblo are at 135% capacity. And because the staffing is being affected by those exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19, so many of the caregivers are working consecutive shifts and many days without breaks. On top of which, 70% of the hospital staff are women and 85% of the frontline caregivers are women, many of whom have the added responsibility of food purchasing and meal preparation for their families.

"There is a sense of ominous anticipation of what the next waves caused by holiday gatherings will bring and everyone is just tired. So, these gifts of food are so much more. It is a gift of time with families, safety to shop one less time, and respite," says Patrick Gaughan, Centura Health Senior Vice President & Chief Values Integration Officer.

FHK's commitment to the community has supported Centura Health hospitals including Penrose and St. Francis Hospitals, Colorado Springs; St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, Pueblo; St. Thomas More Hospital, Cañon City and will soon add St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco to its delivery schedule. Parties interested in donating to the fund or learning more about this cause should visit fuelhopekitchen.org.

ABOUT FUEL HOPE KITCHEN
Fuel Hope Kitchen supports healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID in remote areas of Colorado by providing nutritious family meals made with love from Birdcall. A partnership between Birdcall, The Tuchman Family Foundation, Centura Health, TTEC, and Shamrock Foods, FHK is determined to ensure healthcare workers in outlying areas of the state are not overlooked. FHK's goal is to deliver 200,000 meals to frontline workers across Colorado through the spring.  To learn more or to donate, visit www.fuelhopekitchen.org.

ABOUT BIRDCALL
Birdcall's mission is to make natural foods accessible. But our passion extends beyond serving 100% all-natural chicken sandwiches and fresh, nutritious salads. We also care very deeply about supporting our families - loyal guests and team members - being sustainable for our mother earth, and investing in the local communities we are fortunate enough to operate in. We truly believe, "we're all in this together." Founded in 2016 in Denver's historic Five Points district, the Birdcall team crafted a new kind of dining experience - enhanced through a blend of all-natural ingredients, superior hospitality and service, innovative art and design, and cutting-edge technology. Visit one of our three Denver locations today, with more locations opening in 2021. Visit www.eatbirdcall.com to learn more.

ABOUT THE TUCHMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Tuchman Family Foundation leverages the entrepreneurial spirit and business-at-scale expertise of its principals to create safe, healthy and productive communities. The Foundation focuses on K-5 education innovation, breakthrough medical research, positive social change and community well-being for those most in need. The Foundation does not accept solicitations.  For more information, visit www.tffoundation.com.

ABOUT TTEC
TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading digital customer experience (CX) technology and services company focused on the design, implementation, and delivery of transformative solutions for many of the world's most iconic and disruptive brands and government agencies. The Company delivers outcome-based customer engagement solutions through TTEC Digital, its digital consultancy that designs and builds human centric, tech-enabled, insight-driven, customer experience solutions for clients and TTEC Engage, its delivery center of excellence, that operates customer acquisition, care, fraud prevention and detection, and content moderation services. Founded in 1982, the Company's 56,200 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TTEC is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit www.ttec.com. 

ABOUT CENTURA HEALTH
Centura Health connects individuals, families and neighborhoods across Colorado and western Kansas with more than 6,000 physicians and 21,000 of the best hearts and minds in health care. Through our 17 hospitals, two senior living communities, neighborhood health centers, physician practices and clinics, home care and hospice services, and Flight For Life® Colorado, our caregivers make the region's best health care accessible. We're on a mission to build flourishing communities and whole person care. We're Centura Health, and we're your dedicated health partner for life. For information on Centura Health or any of the facilities in our network, please visit the Centura Health website.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Larina Chen-Mehta, [email protected]
Dana Pluss Parks, [email protected]
DPP Communications

SOURCE Fuel Hope Kitchen