Follow Your Heart, Beyond Meat, Daiya, and Gardein Chip in to Support Philadelphia Hospitals Amid COVID-19

Leading plant-based brands Follow Your Heart, Beyond Meat, Daiya, and Gardein recently donated cash and in-kind donations valued at more than $5,000 to vegan restaurant chain HipCityVeg’s “Give Shake An Assist” initiative, which aims to feed overworked healthcare workers at Philadelphia area hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative launched earlier this month in partnership with professional basketball player Malik “Shake” Milton, donating 500 HipCityVeg meals and shakes to local hospital medical workers. Since then, donations from the community and sponsors have poured in, nearly tripling Milton’s donation and allowing HipCityVeg to deliver 1,500 meals and expand to other hospitals outside the city. 

HipCityVeg has so far received 400 Beyond Burger patties as well as Follow Your Heart gouda cheese to make the restaurant’s Smokehouse Burgers; 2500 boxes of water from Boxed Water; 20 cases of sweet potato fries from Julius Silvert; Daiya shredded mozzarella cheese to make HipCityVeg Philly Steaks; and cash donations from Daiya and Gardein. The restaurant will use the donations to deliver nourishing lunches throughout the next few weeks to every hospital in Philadelphia that is treating COVID-19 patients. “For just a few minutes, our healthcare heroes get to take a break for a reenergizing bite,” HipCityVeg Founder and CEO Nicole Marquis said. “But just as important, they see that the community that they are working so tirelessly to protect, is also doing its best to care for them. Doctors and nurses on the frontlines barely have time to eat, let alone time to order food.”