Westwood eateries Caffe Anello and Sogno Coffee House began the “Anello Feeds First” initiative (Learn More) almost two weeks ago, aiding in the efforts to bring homemade meals to frontline health care workers during the unprecedented events of COVID-19. “First” is a key component to the campaign as they are helping “first” responders (EMS, police, fire), the “first” line of defense (doctors, nurses, other hospital personnel), and for the last 8 years Westwood was the “first” home for their businesses.

They decided that this was the best way to use their talents, as many of the workers have no time to grab lunch or dinner. Instead of a typical fundraising campaign (View Campaign), they began asking asking friends, customers and the Bergen community at large to purchase meals for five to fifty doctors, nurses & first responders. As of Sunday, April 19th, Anello owner John Vitale has delivered over 3,000 meals to date – he provides daily video updates on their social media channels about their progress (View Sogno Instagram).

All proceeds are going towards making and delivering the meals (meals also include dessert and their fresh roasted coffee by the pound), with 20% being put aside for small businesses of Westwood and the Greater Pascack Valley small business districts.

“We’re ready to fight as hard as we can to make sure our community comes back stronger and better than before.” said Vitale about the initiative. More information can be found at their website (Visit Site).