Bergen Hospital Offering Temp Jobs, Meals To Marcal Employees

PARAMUS, NJ — Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is offering the 500 Marcal employees who lost their jobs and their families temporary employment and free meals to Marcal employees and their families.

Marcal workers can apply, receive immediate offers, and be onboarded at the hospital in as middle as two business days.

The hospital is also offering free meals at the cafeteria, Bistro Cafe, or The Daily Grind to affected Marcal families. A Marcal identification card is necessary to get a free meal.

Firefighters and others who responded to and battled the fire may also get a free meal at the hospital. They also need to show appropriate identification.

"The fire, in combination with the weather, makes for very difficult times for the employees of Marcal, many of whom live close by," said Deborah Visconi, the hospital's president and CEO. "We are committed to caring for our community and our goal is to assist these 500 employees, as well as to thank the first-responders who fought the fire under very challenging circumstances."

The entire paper plant was consumed by an eight-alarm fire Wednesday night. (See related: Massive Fire Consumes Marcal Paper Plant In Elmwood Park)

The eight-alarm fire was at first contained to the warehouse along River Road, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno told NorthJersey.com, but it later spread to the main building and toppled the iconic Marcal sign on top of it. The warehouse has large paper rolls that are used to make tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels. More than 100 firefighters were at the scene, according to the report.

Twitter users who drove by the blaze reported that embers were hitting nearby Route 80 as the fire burned the building to the ground.

Firefighters poured water on the smoldering debris Thursday, video footage of the site showed. (See related: Watch: Drone Flyover of Marcal Paper Fire Aftermath)

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com