GRUB FOR SCRUBS
Rave Grafix, restaurants team up to feed health care workers
Over 100 local health care workers have received free meals through a new program started by a Hot Springs screen printing and embroidery company.
Rave Grafix, which started the program, Grub for Scrubs, on April 2, is contributing $8 from the online sales of two special T-shirts to purchase a meal from locally owned and operated restaurants for a health care worker who is helping battle COVID-19 “on the front line,” such as emergency room workers, said Andrew Loe, manager of Rave Grafix.
As of Thursday, Rave Grafix had sold around 160 of the shirts. As of Friday, Loe said, “we’ll have delivered over 100 meals.”
“We just saw a need in the community,” Loe said, referring to the origin of the program. “Saw that health care workers are being worked hard,” he added.
One shirt depicts the Hot Springs streetscape, and the other focuses on the natural aspect of the area, showing Hot Springs Mountain Tower and Hot Springs National Park with the words
“naturally strong.”
“The shirts sell for $18, and $8 of each go to paying for a meal,” Loe said.
So far, Rave Grafix has partnered with two local restaurants on the program, Will’s Cinnamon Shop and SQZBX. “So far we’ve had two, and we are certainly open” to working with other restaurants, Loe said.
Loe called the program a “win, win, win,” because it not only keeps Rave Grafix’s team busy printing shirts, but keeps the restaurants busy, and provides meals for health care workers.
“Local restaurants are hurting,” Loe said, so this program is also helping those businesses. “The restaurants are able to stay busy and keep their employees busy by doing what they do best in providing great food.
“And we’re also providing meals for the health care workers who are working really hard and sacrificing time away from their families.”
Rave Grafix currently has six employees working at its shop. Loe said that the program helps keep those employees working.
Loe said that the T-shirt program has been well received so far. “It’s pretty rare that anyone’s mad that you bought them their lunch,” Loe said.
Loe also said that a lot of health care workers who have been served a free meal have also bought shirts to show support to other health care workers.
The shirts can be ordered at https://www. ravegrafix.com/.