N.J. Neighbors Pool $1,200 to Buy Food From Struggling Restaurant, Donate It to Soup Kitchen

A group of neighbors in New Jersey are paying it forward after a local restaurant needed help surviving the coronavirus crisis. When Montclair resident Kathleen Carroll learned that nearby Stuffed Grass-Fed Burgers was struggling, she asked those on her block for help–and rounded up $1,200 to purchase frozen meat from owner Dan Campeas’ stash.

Then another neighbor came up with an even more generous idea: They donated the food to Toni’s Kitchen, a local soup kitchen. “It all happened within just a couple of days, zoom zoom zoom,” Carroll says. “I think people want to feel like they’re doing something.” Meanwhile, Toni’s Kitchen wrote late last week on Instagram, “Restaurants may be closed, but business owners’ hearts are open. We appreciate how our wonderful community is helping us get through this challenging time.”