Coming To The Table Construction Industry Feeds Healthcare Workers STORY BY MICHAEL SEGUIN / PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMICO WINDSOR’S HEALTHCARE workers are in the line of fire. Thanks to dwindling medical supplies and steadily climbing coronavirus numbers, the future has never been more uncertain. And many of these warriors are braving the storm alone— separated from their friends and family. Some of these frontline healthcare workers have taken up residence at the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Windsor. When Dave Hunter, the Senior Manager of Business Development and Marketing at Amico, heard about their predicament he decided to intervene. “I heard that a lot of these doctors and nurses and lab technicians were being put into a downtown hotel,” Dave states. “They did this to protect their kids and spouses from any potential dangers that this virus could have. So I contacted Windsor Regional Hospital, found out where they were staying and how many people were staying there.” Together, Amico came up with a plan: to provide these unsung heroes with some fresh home-cooked meals from Spago, a local Italian restaurant. However, things quickly ballooned beyond their initial plan. “We wanted to bring them fresh home-cooked meals from Spago,” Dave reports. “We originally planned on doing this with a couple of donations from our staff but it just blew up into an initiative across the board for people working in the construction industry, including our competitors. Everyone set aside their differences and came to the table with one focus and one goal: to do the right thing, to help these warriors.”
Top left: Dave Hunter, the Senior Manager of Business Development and Marketing at Amico. Top right: Christine Stockwell, a Windsor Regional Hospital Registered Nurse. Above: Gary Provenzano, the Executive Chef at Spago.
26
W i n d s o r
L i f e
Before long, word of their endeavors spread like wildfire throughout the city with numerous other companies signing on to help. “I had reached out to a few of these companies,” Dave explains. “And basically, word spread throughout these various organizations including the Windsor Construction Association and the Highway Construction Organization of Windsor. Soon, we were able to secure ongoing funding for our initiative.” Dave was astonished by the community’s outpouring of generosity. “It was pretty amazing,” Dave states. “Other companies have become involved such as SBT Construction, A-Linx Building Technologies and The Storage Box, Bin There Dump That—all of whom provided a monetary donation. The Storage Box has even committed to delivering the meals every week with their flatbed trucks!” With more and more organizations coming onboard to help, these frontline workers have a whole coalition of construction companies rallying around them. “Riverside Rentals has come on board, as well as the Windsor Wall and Ceiling Contractor’s Association and Facca Incorporated,” Dave explains. “When I reached out to Don Gardonio, the President of Facca, he said, ‘Anything I can do to help.’” Together, these construction companies have been able to provide the Holiday Inn Express frontline workers with 64 fresh meals a week. “The big picture is now how this continues to grow,” Dave explains. “More and more companies are coming onboard. It really is special to see people in our industry coming to the table to help out during these challenging, unforeseen times.” Dave has also been using Amico’s social media channels to drum up even more community support. “The original plan that we set forth on our social media wasn’t to get on a soapbox and announce to the world: ‘Look at what we’re doing!’” Dave clarifies. “It was: ‘Can you help? Can you follow our example?’ And it worked! I had Phil from Riverside Rentals call me
