Nonprofit aims to revive restaurant jobs while providing meals to health care workers on the front-lines

Off Their Plate, a nonprofit organization with the aim of reviving restaurant jobs and providing meals to health care workers on the front-lines of the coronavirus pandemic, launched this week in Chicago.

The group partners with local chefs and business owners who pledge to donate meals to a local hospital or health care facility. The organization raises money from donations and grants for the restaurants to be able to pay their staff.

The organization made its first delivery of 175 meals to Lawndale Christian Health Center Monday and will be expanding to deliver more meals to hospitals in Chicago, Off Their Plate spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.

The meals were provided by the Fifty/50 restaurant group, and the nonprofit has joined with other Chicago restaurants, including Seoul Taco, Savett said.

”We are grateful to be able to give back to our city while supporting our employees during this incredibly challenging time that is full of so much uncertainty,” said The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group co-founders Greg Mohr and Scott Weiner.

In a statement, Seoul Taco chef/owner David Choi said “we are proud to be partnering with ‘Off Their Plate’ to provide delicious meals to the brave men and women fighting for our health and safety.”

The nonprofit has raised more than $2.2 million to date and is operating in cities across the country, including New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Savett said. Since launching in Boston last month, the organization has delivered thousands of meals.