New York’s Friars Club and its dean, legendary broadcast star Larry King, joined with iconic Brooklyn eatery L&B Spumoni Gardens to deliver 150 meals to frontline healthcare workers Today at Maimonides Medical Center.
The packaged meals of lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs were donated by the Friars Club. They were picked up at the restaurant by members of the Emergency Task Force of the Diocese of Brooklyn and delivered to the hospital’s emergency department, where doctors and nurses have been helping care for those stricken with COVID-19.
King, 86, who grew up in the neighborhood around Spumoni Gardens, the hospital and is a graduate of Lafayette High School in Bensonhurst, has held the top post at the Friars Club since 2013, helping to spearhead some of the club’s significant philanthropic work throughout the city. This includes providing entertainment for at-risk youth and at senior centers and helping to support veterans programs and scholarships.
Since the pandemic struck, King and others in the Friars Club leadership have been looking for ways to help New Yorkers who have answered the call to care for the sick and save lives.
“My heart will always be in New York and, on behalf of my fellow Friars, we wanted to express our enormous gratitude to the men and women who are on the front lines, at great personal risk to themselves, to care for and support their fellow New Yorkers battling this terrible disease,” said King.
“As a Brooklyn boy, I can tell you there’s nothing better than a nice hot meal from Spumoni Gardens and I hope all of the healthcare workers enjoy it – they earned it. I also want to express how touched I am by the volunteers at the Diocese of Brooklyn for stepping up to the plate to help make this delivery happen. Stay strong New York!” he added.
“Our medical staff is working all day, every day, in extremely challenging conditions,” said Dr. Lawrence Haines, a senior emergency room physician at Maimonides Hospital. “Many days, our doctors and nurses barely have a minute to think about feeding ourselves because the demands on us are so great. Gestures such as a hot, delicious meal in the middle of a shift go a long way towards providing needed sustenance and a psychological boost to know that so many fellow New Yorkers are thinking of us. Thank you to the Friars Club, LB Spumoni Gardens and the Emergency Task Force of the Diocese of Brooklyn for making our day a little brighter.”
“When Larry King called on behalf of the Friars Club and asked if we could work together on delivering meals to the medical workers who are helping keep our fellow New Yorkers safe during this crisis, we were thrilled to help,” said Lenny Kern, Chef at L&B Spumoni Gardens. “We hope everyone enjoyed and they continue to have our full support.”
“It’s heartwarming to see one of the world’s most beloved Jewish personalities come together with the Friars Club and reach out to an Italian restaurant to then have the food delivered by The Arch Dioceses of Brooklyn, to a Jewish Hospital, “said Vincent LeVein, Chairman of the Emergency Task Force of the Diocese of Brooklyn. “That’s because we’re all New Yorkers. No people come together like we do in times of crisis.”
Inspired by the Friars Club donation, the Task Force of the Diocese of Brooklyn also delivered 100,000 surgical masks to hospital staff during the food delivery Today.
