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How Florida Blue continues serving meals to the community in Jacksonville during coronavirus

With most of the company’s employees working remotely, the food service team found a way to provide some needed hospitality to the community while keeping staff employed.

Becky Schilling, Group Content Director/Editor-in-chief

March 30, 2020

Keeping staff employed during coronavirus has been one of the food service industry’s biggest challenges. As offices closed to stop the spread of the virus, B&I operations found themselves without a customer to feed.

That was the case at Florida Blue in Jacksonville, Fla., a campus that normally hosts 7,000 employees. Now, the campus is down to only 350. The foodservice program, which is managed by contract management company Flik, is providing boxed meals for those Florida Blue employees still on campus, but Damian Monticello, senior manager, corporate hospitality services for Florida Blue, knew his team and kitchens had a larger ability to help out.

In conjunction with Feeding Northeast Florida, part of Feeding America, Monticello and his team are producing up to 2,000 meals a day that are then served to area senior centers and for others in need. The move is a win-win for everyone involved. Those who need food are receiving it, and the food service team at Florida Blue is staying employed and continues to serve up hospitality.

Watch the video to find out more about how this partnership is working.

Do you have a story to share about how your team is weathering the coronavirus storm? Food Management wants to hear. You can email me at [email protected].

About the Author

Becky Schilling

Becky Schilling

Group Content Director/Editor-in-chief

Becky Schilling is Food Management’s editor-in-chief, and the group content director for Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group, managing editorial for digital, print and events for Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, Food Management and Supermarket News media brands. Becky holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas A&M University and a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Before joining Food Management in 2014, Becky was with FoodService Director magazine for seven years, the last two as editor-in-chief. Becky is a history nerd and a sports fanatic, especially college football—Gig'em Ags—and tennis. A born and raised Texan, Becky currently resides in New York City.

Becky Schilling’s areas of expertise include the onsite foodservice industry (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare and B&I), foodservice menus, operational best practices and innovation.

Becky Schilling is a frequent speaker at industry events including The Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF), The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) and The Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM).

Becky Schilling’s experience:

Group Content Director, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Feb. 2020-present)

Editor-in-chief Food Management (Nov. 2014-present)

Director of Content Strategy & Optimization, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (March 2019-Feb. 2020)

Editor-in-chief, Supermarket News (April 2019-March 2019)

Executive Editor, Supermarket News (July 2016-April 2017)

Editor-in-chief, FoodService Director magazine (March 2013-Oct. 2014)

Managing Editor (FoodService Director magazine (March 2012-March 2013)

Associate Editor (FoodService Director magazine (Nov. 2007-March 2012)

Contact Becky Schilling at:

[email protected]

@bschilling_FM

https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-schilling-39194ba/

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