Snow Bowl Steamboat Creates Family Bowl Initiative
Hit with the
COVID-19 outbreak in mid-March, Snow Bowl Steamboat was among the many Colorado
restaurants mandated to close their doors, leading them to lay off their hourly
employees.
Snow Bowl, a
long-established entertainment venue offering a full-service restaurant and
bar, along with bowling and Steamboat’s largest outdoor patio & lawn area,
decided that they wanted to give back to the community that has long supported
them. With food in their fridges and freezers and an urgent need within the
Yampa Valley community for hot and nutritious food, the Snow Bowl team launched
the Family Bowl initiative.
The first Family
Bowl service was on March 23 and the Family Bowl team expects to have served
15,000 free meals by the end of May, with nearly 400 meals served on some
nights. Family Bowl happens every day from 5pm-7pm. Individuals and families
are provided with a meal for them to enjoy at their homes, respecting the
State’s and County’s mandates to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
The Family Bowl team
consists of volunteers in the kitchen and front-of-house, who prepare and
package the meals to go. Meals have included diverse cuisines, comfort foods
such as Italian, vegetarian and barbecue, to name a few. The Family Bowl team
has been rewarded with smiles and hand-written cards from families and children
who are grateful for this excellent resource.
Family Bowl has
been sustained through contributions made by local restaurants, farms and food
producers, as well as financial contributions made by individuals and businesses
all over the world. Through a Go Fund Me campaign, Family Bowl has far exceeded
its initial $2,000 goal, raising over $30,000 to date. This fundraising effort
has been instrumental in maintaining the Family Bowl initiative with food,
containers and cleaning supplies, as many of the initial contributions from
local restaurants have significantly diminished.
Alpine Bank sponsored an evening of Family Bowl meals in May. For anyone interested in supporting Family Bowl, please contact Meryl Meranski at [email protected].