Eastport restaurant owner honored
Award winnerMonica Alvarado is the leader of Feed Anne Arundel
She’s been called a “saint,” a “shining light,” and a “COVID hero.”
But for Monica Alvarado, she said her work over the last nine months during the coronavirus pandemic had been focused on one thing: fixing a problem.
On Wednesday afternoon, Alvarado, the owner of the Bread and Butter Kitchen in Eastport, was awarded the inaugural Annapolis Person of the Year award. The award was in recognition of her leading Feed Anne Arundel, a charitable organization that keeps restaurants in business and their workers employed by paying them to make hot meals for families in need. Those meals are handed out at food distribution centers across the county.
She was surprised by a small group of people at the Eastport shopping center to witness her receive the award created by John O’Leary, chair of Warrior Events, a military veteran nonprofit.
“When I amnot actively helping or doing something to fix the problems that we’re facing, then I kind of feel lost,” she said. “So for me, it’s given me a drive and a direction.”
Fighting back tears, she said, “2020 sucked, but good God did it also really rock.”
Feed Anne Arundel was established at the beginning of the pandemic in partnership with Anne Arundel Connecting Together, the Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.
It started as a jobs program but quickly pivoted to meals as the pandemic spiraled out of control.
“[ Feed Anne Arundel] would not be what it is without the extended community support from our elected officials, to just people in the community who learned about what we were doing and helped us by donating money, donating time and supporting local restaurants,” she said.
So far, Alvarado’s team has given out more than 120,000 meals and supported over 100 restaurants, O’Leary said. County Executive Steuart Pittman allocated $ 1 million to the Feed Anne Arundel partnership of local restaurants and businesses earlier this month.
O’Leary heaped praise on Alvarado, an Air Force veteran, for operating the organization “with military precision.”
Fred Alvarado was not surprised by his wife’s efforts over the last nine months, he said, joking that she “always had a bleeding heart” since shewas young.
And though the year is nearly over, Feed
Anne Arundel’s efforts will continue into 2021, Alvarado said. She has already started preparing for the new year as restaurants are expected to continue to struggle.
“We’re all in this together,” said Lila Beall, co- owner of Heroes Pub, whose restaurant participated in about eight or nine Feed Anne Arundel events. “Everybody thinks that everybody who owns restaurants are in competition with each other, and we’re not. We’re all supportive of each other.”
Alvarado also thanked local leaders, including those in attendance, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley, state Sen. Sarah Elfreth, D- Annapolis, and Del. Dana Jones, D- Annapolis, for their continued support.
“You’re a COVID hero,” Buckley said. “Just because of the nature of the person that she is, she stepped up, and she led the way, andwe followed your lead.” Jones called Alvarado, “St. Monica.”
“In a time where we hear the word contagious a lot, kindness is contagious,” she said. “And you are that spark in our community.”