Local Small Business Committed to Nourishing the Community During COVID-19

From: Oren Epstein

Hungry to help the community, BIO RAW, Canada’s only Certified Organic meal delivery service has established the BIO RAW FRONTLINE WORKERS FUND to provide thousands of free fresh, nutritious meals to healthcare workers across Ontario. Frontline workers are risking their lives to keep our loved ones safe, and now more than ever need to keep their immunity strong. Carefully crafted by nutritionists, BIO RAW meals are packed with plant-based proteins (8-18 grams per serving), fibre and phytonutrients, including immunity-boosting greens, and antioxidant-rich ingredients. They’re the perfect choice for healthcare workers at a time when many are reaching for comfort foods and experiencing increased levels of stress in the healthcare industry.

This local small business has received an overwhelming response from local hospitals, clinics, and other community service organizations that are in need of meals. In a request that was received from a downtown Toronto hospital, a resident doctor shared that she and her colleagues are doing an abundance of 24-hour call shifts with limited food options in the hospital and no food options after hours. She shared that they don’t have time to order outside food during the day and that a healthy meal would be greatly appreciated during these busy times.

BIO RAW has always been committed to being of service, and today this mission is more important than ever. BIO RAW is living its mission to transform lives, the planet, and the food industry one meal at a time. So far the fund has enabled BIO RAW to deliver meals to frontline workers at Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences, Toronto General Hospital, Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, and Trillium Hospital, just to name a few.

“Hospitals and medical professionals are the heart and soul of communities across our country, and these professionals are facing unprecedented challenges.Though we know that our support doesn’t solve all of the difficulty that they are facing, we are hoping that our meals will help fuel medical workers to get through these exceptional times,” says Oren Epstein, the 27-year old owner of BIO RAW.

COMMITMENT TO TORONTO COMMUNITY

With planted roots and a long-standing commitment to the Toronto community, BIO RAW is enabling customers to pay it forward by encouraging locals to help those in need within their own community. Customers will now find a QR code on the inside of every BIO RAW meal that they can scan and donate to the BIO RAW FRONTLINE WORKERS FUND using their phone. BIO RAW has also turned social media to help raise funds in support of local charities and community organizations in and effort to give back during these challenging times brought on by COVID-19. Through the BIO RAW SUPPORTS initiative, BIO RAW has partnered with charity and community organizations to fundraise to help those most vulnerable by sharing a customized code with their supporters online – $10 is donated by BIO RAW each time the code is used at checkout on www.bioraw.ca. Participants include Mount Sinai Hospital, Feed It Forward, Pride Toronto, and the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank. There is also an option for customers to make an added donation in any dollar amount to support any of the charity and organization partners further, and to donate to the BIO RAW FRONTLINE WORKERS FUND for delivery of meals to frontline workers.

FLATTENING THE CURVE

BIO RAW’s commitment to the community extends to its team of 30+ staff and is taking extra steps to ensure that their team is receiving the assistance that they need. With an understanding of the importance of social distancing, BIO RAW is supporting its staff by providing private transportation to and from its kitchen facility in North York, as well as, creating work-from-home solutions for non-essential team members in order to keep serving the community to its fullest. “Our goal is to keep our staff employed and safe. We have taken extra steps to support social distancing by providing all production staff with private transportation to and from our kitchen facility,” says Oren Epstein. “I choose to use my business as a force of good – it’s about doing all that we can to support the health, safety, and well-being of our staff and community.”

BIO RAW is offering FREE Contactless Delivery with expanded service within the Greater Toronto Area in an effort to further help flatten the curve. “BIO RAW meals are more accessible than ever through FREE contactless home delivery and at over 100 retailers across Ontario,” says Oren Epstein. “We have increased our sanitation measures and are following all recommended protocols in order to continue safely serving our community to the best of our ability.”

ABOUT BIO RAW:
BIO RAW is a Toronto-based, certified organic meal service company. All meals are carefully crafted by in-house nutritionists and are nut-free, gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and better for the environment. BIO RAW prepares its menu offerings fresh to order and serves the Greater Toronto Area with direct delivery options available through its website. BIO RAW is also proudly available over 100 retail partners including Whole Foods, Sobeys, Fortinos, Nature’s Emporium, Loblaws, Organic Garage, Ambrosia, and online through Fresh City Farms, Fruit Suite, PC Express, Cornershop, Instacart, and InABuggy.