周末饺子宴：疫情下的一线光亮
Ronald Meyer 北美新视界2020-04-08
美国华人联合会（UCA）及其伊利诺州分会（UCA-IL）慷慨解囊1000美元，帮助马里兰州居宅避难的养老院居民，并照顾在疫情世界大流行的困境中挣扎生存的餐馆工人和餐馆的业务。
作者：Ronald Meyer；翻译：Vicki Cheng
巴尔的摩，马里兰州，2020年四月五日
慈善饺子宴
在这笔捐款的支持下，四月五日这个星期日，宜人花园辅助生活中心、午茶辅助生活中心和凤凰飞天辅助生活中心，在巴尔的摩的七个辅助生活中心为约100名居民及其看护举办了“周日饺子宴”活动，送上了Owings Mills银座牛排馆手工制作并快递的牛肉芹菜饺子。
辅助生活中心的管理人员本着谨慎卫生的原则，采用安全措施确保食物无病毒，让大家放心愉快地用餐。
管理人员们说，居民们很兴奋，十分喜欢这顿饺子宴。一位居民说：“我很久没有吃饺子了。它们真好吃。我这次吃了太多的饺子！”另一位居民说：“这正是我周日下午所需要的！”
宜人花园辅助生活中心经理王女士说：“通过这份礼物， UCA / UCA-IL向我们这个社区传达了跨文化的友情和团结的信息。我们希望这样的捐赠能向人们揭示‘同心抗疫才能胜利’的信息。”
王女士还说：“对于被关了好几个星期的老年人、残疾人和照料者来说，这顿异国情调的晚餐令人难忘！”
总经理Ronald Meyer 补充说：“我们接下来的的日历中还会有很多日子，虽然它不一定是饺子。我们欢迎任何组织或个人向陷入困境的餐厅捐款，并在此困难时期为辅助生活的居民们带来兴奋和喜悦。”
他继续说：“自从州长发布马里兰州居居家令以来，我们特别重视所有辅助生活中心的防御保护，加强了室内娱乐项目，并在医生的建议下，通过增加食物预算给居民补充额外营养，以提高居民的免疫力。”他还说：“其实，在网络云端上放进自己对疫情的一线希望并不难，只需要给您最喜欢的餐厅捐一笔款。我们会和餐厅一起，将食物运送给居住在辅助生活中心的居民和护理人员！”
| 宜人花园辅助生活中心https://www.pleasantgarden.org过去十年来，宜人花园为巴尔的摩市的老年人和残障辅助生活居民提供了优质服务。连同其姐妹辅助生活公司“午茶辅助中心”和“凤凰飞扬辅助中心”一起，共有七座辅助生活中心获得马里兰州卫生署（MDH）的许可。辅助生活中心与MDH的护士医生保持定期联系，以了解有关冠状病毒的最新消息以及最新防御措施建议。 |
| 美国华人联合会UCAhttps://www.ucausa.orgUCA伊利诺伊州分会https://il.ucausa.orgUCA是全国性非营利、无党派联合会，本着服务、引领、激励的方针，致力于华人参政、社区发展、青少年关怀，以及中美文化交流等。UCA-IL是UCA的伊利诺州分部。 |
| 银座餐厅https://www.ginzajapanesesteakhousemd.com赵莉莉（Lily Zhao）所拥有的银座日本牛排馆，提供各类亚州美食，周日交送的饺子是中国食品。这家餐厅在当地很受欢迎。 |
“Dumpling Sunday”
A Silver Lining Under a Pandemic
Donation Helps Shut-in Assisted Living
Residents and a Struggling Restaurant
Baltimore, MD – April 5
United Chinese Americans (UCA) and UCA Illinois (UCA IL), with a $1,000 donation, helped assisted-living residents who are sheltering in place, and helped restaurant workers and a restaurant business that are struggling on account of the pandemic in Maryland and worldwide.
A plate of goodness for Dumpling Sunday Pleasant Gardens Assisted Living, Afternoon Tea Assisted Living and Phoenix Rising Assisted Living hosted a “Dumpling Sunday,” on Sunday, April 5, for about 100 residents and their caregivers in their seven Baltimore locations. Ginza Steak House of Owings Mills hand-made and delivered the beef and celery dumplings.
Management approached the event with the caution necessary to ensure not only an enjoyable meal, but a COVID-safe meal.
Managers remarked that residents were excited and enjoyed the meal. One resident said, “I haven’t had dumplings in a long time. They were delicious. I ate too many!” Another said, “This is just what I needed on a Sunday afternoon!”
“With this gift,” said Pleasant Gardens Regional Manager Chen Wang, “UCA/UCA IL also sends to the local community a message of cross-cultural solidarity and compassion. Furthermore, we hope that donations such as this show what good things can follow when people work together. Thank you!”
“For an elderly and disabled population, and their caregivers, who have been shut in for weeks,” Wang went on, “this exotic dinner made a memorable meal!”
“We have plenty of days left in our calendar,” added General Manager, Ronald Meyer. “It doesn’t have to be dumplings. We welcome any organization or individual to donate to a struggling restaurant and bring excitement and joy to our assisted-living residents during this difficult time.
“We have been sheltering in place at all our locations since before the Governor’s stay-at-home order was issued for Marylanders,” continued Meyer. “We have emphasized enhancement of in-house entertainment programs, but also focused on enhancing residents’ immune systems by increasing our food budget for extra nutrition—this under the advice of doctors.
“To paint your own silver lining onto the cloud of Coronavirus is easy,” said Meyer: “Simply donate money to your favorite restaurant and we will arrange with the restaurant to deliver the food to our assisted-living residents and caregivers!”
ABOUT PLEASANT GARDENS
Pleasant Gardens (https://www.pleasantgarden.org) has served elderly and handicapped assisted-living residents in Baltimore City for the past ten years. Together with its sister assisted-living companies, Afternoon Tea and Phoenix Rising, all seven houses are licensed by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). The assisted-living homes are in regular contact with MDH, nurses and doctors to stay abreast of news about the virus and the most recent advisory on precautions.
ABOUT UCA (www.ucausa.org)
United Chinese Americans and UCA Illinois (https://il.ucausa.org): UCA is a nationwide nonprofit and nonpartisan federation and a community civic movement, inspired and dedicated to enriching and empowering Chinese-American communities through civic engagement, political participation, heritage sharing, youth development and a greater understanding between US and China for the well-being of all Americans. UCA-IL is UCA’s first Chapter.
ABOUT GINZA
Ginza Japanese Steak House (https://www.ginzajapanesesteakhousemd.com), owned by Lily Zhao, serves Asian-American cuisine. The dumplings served on Sunday are a Chinese recipe that is popular in the northern part of the country, from which Zhao comes.