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North Okanagan seniors served free meals during pandemic

More than 300 meals served to date from The Fig
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Free meals have been delivered to more than 300 seniors from The Fig restaurant in Vernon. Pictured is Kevin, one of the recipients and David Scarlatescu, owner of the downtown Vernon restaurant. (Facebook photo)

Hearing about a local senior and his brother who were evicted around the start of COVID-19 and living off one meal per day struck the heart of a Vernon business owner.

But this was just one of many more emotional stories to come of seniors struggling to afford the basic necessities of food.

That’s what prompted David Scarlatescu, who owns The Fig downtown, to offer free meals for seniors in March. And the store has since served more than 300 to local seniors, with hundreds more in the pipeline.

“We were heartbroken to hear about their situation and decided to offer them a free meal each every day,” said Scarlatescu, of Kevin’s situation. “Just like this, the stories have been extremely emotional and they truly show exactly why we wanted to do this in the first place.”

The young businessman and his staff have grandparents too, who are the most vulnerable during this pandemic.

“This is a very sensitive matter for all of us and we want to make sure that we are looking after our seniors, as these past few weeks have been extremely difficult for them getting to the grocery store and finding what they need while trying to stay safe,” he said in a Facebook post.

The Fig has been assisted by other business owners and individuals who have stepped up to make monetary donations to support the cause.

“Thanks to your extremely generous support of money, time, help with deliveries, and awareness, we will be able to positively impact the lives of so many in our local community.”

If you have elderly parents, grandparents, senior family members, neighbors, or know anybody that could benefit from this while still ensuring their safety during this time as they are the most at risk, you can contact The Fig via Facebook messenger or call 250-558-5983.

“This community has been and continues to be our family and everyone’s elderly are ours too,” said Scarlatescu. “We’re all in this together.”

READ MORE: Vernon resource aims to help seniors in COVID-19 crisis

READ MORE: COVID-19 fails to curb opening of Vernon farm orchard


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Jennifer Smith

About the Author: Jennifer Smith

Vernon has always been my home, and I've been working at The Morning Star since 2004.
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