Redwood Shores, CA – In recent weeks, the Mushroom Council has greatly expanded its collaborations with foodservice providers nationwide to deliver free mushroom-centric meals to first responders and front-line workers.
From the Bay Area to Boston, the Mushroom Council has worked with a variety of its partners – including manufacturers, independents, chains, chef associations and menu developers – to help feed personnel at hospitals, police departments, EMT units, senior centers and crisis centers.
“The Mushroom Council’s collaboration began in late March when we worked with quick service chain B.GOOD to deliver free turkey-mushroom blended burgers and mushroom-centric veggie bowls,” said Curtis Jurgensmeyer, Chairman of the Mushroom Council and CEO of J-M Farms in Miami, OK. “B.GOOD has since delivered meals to more than 5,000 Boston-area health professionals working on the frontlines, and the Mushroom Council has now replicated this very meaningful grassroots program with partners in other markets.”
Cleveland, OH
The Mushroom Council collaborated with Cleveland Independents, a local association of the city’s independent restaurants and a group that has championed the Blended Burger Project in the past. Seven restaurants delivered blended burgers to Cleveland’s first responders, including police departments and Cleveland Clinic hospitals. Jake Orosz, owner of participating restaurant The Fairmount, was interviewed on Cleveland radio station WERE.
Bay Area, CA
Heritage Eats is delivering a version of their mushroom/meat blended burger to the Napa Police Department, the Napa County Sheriff’s Department and the Napa Emergency Response Unit. This project is funded in part through a “Pay It Forward” model, a program Mushroom Council is supporting in which community members can purchase meals for frontline workers to be delivered by Heritage Eats.
Knoxville, TN
In collaboration with the Mushroom Council, Bush’s Beans is distributing blended burgers at their popular Visitor Center & Café. The space has been repurposed into a local support center to serve meals to local senior centers and plant workers.
In the coming weeks, the blended burger will also be added to the menu of a food truck sponsored by Bush’s Beans and the Tennessee Smokies, a local minor league baseball team. The food truck will have burgers available for purchase and will also be making deliveries at senior living facilities and hospitals in the area.
Pittsburgh, PA
Burgh’ers, a two-time Blended Burger Project winner, has joined by delivering their blended burger to frontline personnel in Western Pennsylvania, including to Pittsburgh Resolve Crises Services, Wilkinsburg Free Store community outreach effort, Children’s Hospital and Circles Pittsburgh.
About the Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.com.
