Giving, Receiving, Rebuilding: Business Owners Give Back Despite Covid-19

Recovering Restaurateurs Pledge $1500 A Week to #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines

Jason Angeles and Ronnie Taylor delivering 100’s of meals to West Bay

Jason Angeles and Ronnie Taylor are no strangers to the dangers Covid-19 puts business owners through. After battling potential business closure, SSF Chickenbox owners Angeles and Taylor pledge $1500 a week to Kultivate Labs’ campaign #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines.

Angeles and Taylor aim to give back to the community that helped them jump the hurdles that Covid-19 threw their way. After Covid-19 ravaged the food and travel industry, Angeles and Taylor were left stranded, and their businesses, Frozen Kuhsterd, IVSF Catering, Sugar & Spun, and Churreria SF,  became a part of the first 11 businesses supported by #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines.  During the first months of Shelter In Place, California had yet to implement their Great Plates food stimulus program. #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines gave Angeles and Taylor weekly opportunities to feed seniors in their local community. 

Chef Ronnie Taylor

“During the first 2/3 months of SIP, the campaign [Filipinos Feed The Frontlines] helped us stay afloat by giving us weekly allocations to feed seniors.  It was during a time that SSF Chickenbox was still building up and Great Plates hadn’t started yet.”

It was through the combined business acumen of Angeles, Taylor, business partners Justin Isip (Sugar & Spun, Churreria SF) and Christian Perez (Churreria SF), and the ever-supportive drive of the community, that SSF Chickenbox was born. After only a few weeks of planning, SSF Chickenbox was built on the new normal - maximizing their delivery and pickup capabilities. They had found a way to keep food and labor costs low and provide an amazing culinary experience under the compliance of COVID guidelines. 

For the last four months, Angeles and Taylor have fed over 100 seniors, 3 meals a day, 6 days a week. By staying ahead of the game, Angeles and Taylor are recovering, sustaining their efforts, and now, are giving back $1500 a week to #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines. They wanted their community to know this:

Prolific food entrepreneur, Jason Angeles

“ We are Filipino owned businesses that were held up by our Filipino community during the tough first few months of SIP [Shelter In Place].  Now it’s our turn to return the favor to our community.  This is how we get back out of this, together.  We’ll be better equipped to build and thrive in the new normal. “

#FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines is a joint effort between Filipino food businesses and nonprofits in response to the growing needs of disproportionately affected groups that have been ravaged by Covid-19. In 134 days, #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines has raised $106,912 from 1,115 donors to feed Frontline Health Workers & Scientists, and Communities Battling Covid-19. The weekly pledge made by Angeles and Taylor will go great lengths in the fight against Covid-19--  and is a true example of Bayanihan. 

Are you inspired to feed the frontlines? Learn how you can help here.

Written by Jolo Merilleno