'Fuel The Fight' Effort Supports Healthcare Workers, Restaurants

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — An effort to feed healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic while at the same time supporting local restaurants struggling during the closures is underway in Bucks County.

Fuel the Fight, an effort that started in Philadelphia, has expanded to Bucks County. Launched by four area residents, Fuel the Fight has already raised more than $5,000 to provide meals to healthcare workers at local facilities with food prepared by area restaurants.

Dani Tuller, a student Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland who is originally from Newtown, said she and three others were inspired to start the local Fuel the Fight chapter because they wanted to help those impacted during the pandemic. The effort is also spearheaded by Mike Mirande, a student at Jefferson University, and New Hope residents Tessa Hoyer and Christopher Whitman.

"We're able to support both local restaurants and also these health care workers who are really just putting their lives on the line right now," Tuller said. "It feels good to focus on something when everything else is so uncertain."

The concept is simple: Fuel the Fight raises money through GoFundMe and its Venmo. They then purchase meals from local restaurants that are struggling to survive, and provide those meals to workers are area hospitals and pharmacies.

So far, the group has provided 360 meals to four different health care facilities, and has partnered with five area restaurants, including Solstice, La Stalla, Luca’s Pizza in Bensalem, and others.

Recipients of the meals have so far included Lower Bucks Hopsital, Jefferson Bucks Hospital, Doylestown Hospital, Chandler Hall, and more.

Due to the success of the effort, the local chapter of Fuel the Fight has increased its goal from $5,000 to $10,000.

To support the effort, visit the organization's Gofundme page. Venmo donations are accepted at FTFbuckscounty. "Whether it’s $1 or $1,000, it doesn’t matter. Anything helps," organizers explain.

Tuller said the group is seeking recommendations for restaurants currently in operation they can support. Email fuelthefightbuckscounty@gmail.com with suggestions or for more information