SELFLESS ACTS
New Britain plans ‘Think Beyond Yourself’ awards to honor residents helping coronavirus crisis
New Britain restaurant owner Vincent Placeres has been delivering free meals to hospital workers every night for the past month, and even persuaded owners of other New Britain dining spots to pitch in.
At Staropolska Restaurant, owner Margaret Malinowski organized a team of volunteers that has produced more than 1,000 free face masks for nurses and doctors in central Connecticut.
And in one of the city’s elementary schools, a mother raised enough money so every fifth grader could get a yearbook and T-shirt in June before advancing to middle school.
“There are so many stories like this coming out. We’ve seen an incredible amount of kindness in our community — neighbors doing things to help one another — and it’s really inspiring,” Mayor Erin Stewart said.
To bring attention to volunteerism and unselfishness, Stewart created the “Think Beyond Yourself ” contest.
Residents have nominated more than 15 people who’ve done something extra to help people during the coronavirus crisis, and Stewart plans to pick winners in early May.
“During this difficult time period, there are individuals in our community who have helped out and become hometown heroes in small but meaningful ways,” she said. “We want to make sure that their actions are being properly recognized.”
Stewart set “Think Beyond Yourself” as a slogan in mid-March, when schools closed and the city began shutting down some recreational facilities. She’s emphasized it in her weekly Facebook updates, especially as stay-at-home directives grew more restrictive.
Contest winners will receive medallions and will be recognized on Stewart’s Facebook page as well as the municipal website.
Placeres, the owner of the Mofongo restaurant downtown, has become a public face of volunteerism in New Britain since March 31. That day he started an appeal on his Facebook page inviting other city restaurants to help him deliver dozens of free dinners to Hospital of Central Connecticut workers.
“We need to come together and support our locals hospitals. I will be sending 30 meals every night at 7 p.m. to the head nurse to disburse,” he wrote. “If there is a need for more I will take care of that but lets come together.”
Every night since then, Placeres has put up photos of the day’s deliveries.
The campaign has grown: Mofongo is now sending out scores of free lunches and dinners every day, delivering to health care workers at nursing homes, pharmacies, urgent care clinics and elsewhere. Placeres calls it People Over Profits, and credits donors with sustaining it.
“We’re trying to take care of the most essential workers. As of last week, we’d sent out 5,000 meals from Mofongo that we made in-house, and more than 1,000 from other restaurants,” he said.
Pizza House of New Britain, Soulvadroian, Catanzaro’s Deli and Lola’s Bistro in Plainville are among the restaurants that have been donating meals for weeks.
Stewart and the city council members personally pitched in $1,500 to help, Placeres said, and Gerry Amodio provided $1,000 from the Downtown District that he is executive director of. Other residents and businesses, including My Wife Didn’t Cook, have donated food, money or meals.
“And at the end of the day, we’ve been getting support from the community — they’re still coming here to eat,” Placeres said. “As long as people keep coming, my restaurant stays open. As long as we can keep the lights on and keep my staff on payroll, we’re putting the profits back into the cause.”
Don Stacom can be reached at dstacom@ courant.com.