An Ozark man, laid off from his job in the restaurant industry due to the coronavirus, has changed his focus from working to bringing joy to essential personnel in these trying times.
Andy Goessmann and his wife, Taylor, started the fundraiser around the time the stay at home orders were being put into place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. It's called "Thank You, Springfield Front Line! Lunch on Us!"
They established a Pay Pal Facebook link where people can give money. And Goessmann uses that money to buy food from local restaurants, which he then delivers to area grocery store employees and healthcare workers.
And he livestreams those deliveries on Facebook so everyone can see the impact those deliveries are having.
Wednesday, he purchased 10 pizzas from Neighborhood Pizza and Café in Springfield and delivered it to employees at Price Cutter on Kearney Street.
"I called just to make sure they hadn't had lunch already, and I kind of walked in, and they're like, 'aw, the pizza guy's here,' and, you know, it's a good feeling," he said. "It's so heartwarming for me."
He said the deliveries will continue as long as donations keep coming in. The effort, according to Goessmann, is designed to help out local restaurants as their dining areas remain closed and to lift the spirits of essential workers. And it gives him something positive to focus on after he lost his job.
"I've never really done charitable work before, but when I did that first delivery, you know, it made me happy. It made me smile," he said. "And it just motivated me, and I just kept wanting to run with it as much as possible."
He’s made seven deliveries so far.
