SHARON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A caterer and a restaurateur are working together to feed kids who would normally be getting their lunches from schools that have now been shut down due to COVID-19.
Many parents are struggling to feed their kids while schools are shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Three hundred kids in Sharon qualify for free or reduced school lunches, and Neil Morris wants to help them.
Morris grew up in Sharon, and now owns a catering business called A Perfect Taste. He told WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville that he and Avi Shemtov, the owner of Simcha restaurant in Sharon, knew they needed to do something as the coronavirus crisis worsened.
Morris set up tables outside Simcha with sandwiches, fruit, and snacks, and announced on Facebook that he was giving the meals to those who need them.
"Any town you go to, no matter what the affluence is in the town, there's always some demographic within it that doesn't fit that piece, and Sharon has that," Morris said. "But honestly, people can come from other towns, too, and we're here to support them."
He said he plans to be there as long as the schools are shut down.
"If seven people show up, or seven hundred people show up, either way, whoever needs it needs it," Morris said.
Morris has been joined by volunteers, like 15-year-old Jacob Margolis. Margolis said he realizes some kids might be hesitant to admit they need food.
"I think we can just reassure them that there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Margolis said. "People go through this sometimes."
Shemtov wanted to be there, too—but he's self-isolating while waiting for the results of a coronavirus test.
Despite more and more bad news about the pandemic, Morris is keeping his hopes high.
"I'm very optimistic, what choice do you have?" he said. "The world is still gonna be here when this ends, and so we need to make sure that we help everyone get through it as best we can."
WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville (@wbzSausville) reports
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App