The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a number of people in the local restaurant industry to help those in need, and the person behind a Chinese-American restaurant in Boston's Fenway neighborhood is no exception.
According to an email, Mei Mei on Park Drive has partnered with La Comunidad to supply 200 frontline immigrant workers in Everett and their families with more than 7,000 pounds of essential groceries last week, with chef and owner Irene Li packing up donor-funded boxes of food each day for weekend deliveries. The boxes include produce, dried beans, rice, and masa, with the estimated cost of each box being between $35 and $40, and Mei Mei's partnership with La Comunidad, Inc. to fundraise at least $10,500 a week is helping not just families in need, but also helping provide paid work for the staff at Mei Mei while also providing revenue for the restaurant's vendors. (Li is also hoping to replicate this model with other restaurants and community organizations as well.)
This Saturday (May 16), volunteers will again be picking up the boxes from Mei Mei and delivering them to families, with the plan being for this to continue over the coming weeks as well. For more information, including how to donate, please go to this link from Mei Mei's blog (or contact the restaurant at hello@meimeiboston.com):
https://www.meimeiboston.com/blog/2020/5/14/mei-mei-restaurant-partners-with-la-comunidad-to-provide-groceries-for-200-immigrant-families-in-everett
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
