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Pop’s sends beefs, burgers to health care workers

Matt Kahn, owner of Pop’s Italian Beef in Homewood, packs meals into a car for delivery to South Suburban Hospital. The restaurant is raising money to support local health care workers with hearty meals. (Carole Sharwarko/H-F Chronicle)

If food nourishes the soul, then Matt Kahn is giving local health care workers a real morale boost lately as they struggle to contend with the COVID-19 crisis.

The owner of Pop’s Italian Beef in Homewood, Kahn is putting cheeseburgers, Italian beef and grilled chicken sandwiches into the hands of hardworking nurses and doctors through his Feed the Front Line project.

Matt Kahn, owner of Pop’s Italian Beef in Homewood, packs meals into a car for delivery to South Suburban Hospital. The restaurant is raising money to support local health care workers with hearty meals. (Carole Sharwarko/H-F Chronicle)

“It started with one customer who came into the store looking to donate food to South Suburban Hospital,” Kahn said. “I didn’t know how to handle it because I didn’t know if they were accepting food deliveries. So she left (the donation) and I told her I’d get in touch with the hospital to see what to do next.”

Kahn called the hospital, where a worker enthusiastically told him they would gladly accept the meals for staff members. 

After that initial donation, Kahn, who is a graduate of H-F High School, said he wanted to continue supporting local health care workers with meals from the restaurant.

“I heard that their cafeterias are closed, and nurses and doctors don’t have a lot of time to eat. It sounds like they’re under it 24/7; their working conditions are tough,” Kahn said. “Plus, I’ve got time on my hands, with our normal operations taking up a lot less time now.” 

Kahn set up a fundraiser on the GoFundMe website, calling it Feed the Front Line. He pledged that for every $150 raised, Pop’s would donate 250 meals of a $6 value to staff at South Suburban Hospital. 

He shared the fundraiser to the Moms and Dads of Homewood-Flossmoor Facebook page, then carried on with his daily restaurant work.

“By the time I got home that night and looked, it was already at $1,800 in donations,” Kahn said. “I was overwhelmed by the response.”

Counting in-person donations along with those made online, Feed the Front Line has raised more than $4,000, putting nearly 700 meals into the hands of local health care workers at multiple hospitals and senior living centers.

And Kahn isn’t skimping — he’s packing the real deal with beef sandwiches, double cheeseburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches and the classic grilled-cheese-and-soup combo. Each lunch also includes a bag of chips and cookies, and Kahn sends assorted beverages for staff to choose.  

Local health care workers express their gratitude for donated lunches from Pop’s Beef in Homewood. (Provided photo)

With help from Kahn’s parents, Barbara and Brian Kahn, the restaurant has delivered meals to South Suburban Hospital, UChicago Medicine/Ingalls Memorial Hospital, Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Franciscan Health Dyer, Homewood ManorCare and Sunrise Senior Living. 

In addition to the food Kahn enlisted Gloria Jean’s Coffee, its neighbor in Cherry Creek Plaza, to pitch in. Now, each time Pop’s makes a food delivery, they also bring along coffee donated by Gloria Jean’s. 

Especially with Feed the Front Line keeping Pop’s busy, Kahn also continues to employ cooks and counter staff, who bag the donated meals.

“When the world is under attack and you have a national crisis, I don’t know how to battle on the front line with them, but I know how to do this,” Kahn said.

All money raised through the Feed the Front Line project, which Kahn said has come “straight out of the H-F community,” goes directly to feed health care workers. 

As long as the donations keep coming in, Kahn said Pop’s will continue cranking out food for hungry doctors, nurses and others fighting the battle against COVID-19.

“This is my life. Food makes people happy and I’m just trying to do my small part to help out,” Kahn said. “I hope to give them something to look forward to. If they’re enjoying the food, that inspires me to carry on.”

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