Hard Rock, Seminole entities provide community support during pandemic Community News by Kevin Johnson - April 17, 2020September 19, 2024 Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee donates food to Community Cooperative in March 2020. (Seminole Casino Hotel/Facebook ) The Hard Rock International motto “All is One” is taking on additional significance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through food donations, free meals and other charitable outreach, Hard Rocks across the country and Seminole Gaming are showing support for those on the front lines, including health care workers, firefighters, paramedics and police officers, as well as community organizations. (Hard Rock International’s parent entity is the Seminole Tribe of Florida). Hard Rock Cafe Orlando provides lunches at AdventHealth Orlando in April 2020. (Hard Rock Cafe Orlando/Facebook) Here are some examples of how Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming have been helping communities: Hard Rock Café in Orlando shared its generosity during these difficult times by supplying complimentary lunch for health care workers at AdventHealth Orlando. “…we jumped at the chance to help XL 1067’s (radio host) Johnny Magic when he asked if we could cook and serve hot meals to health care workers on the frontlines,” Hard Rock Café posted on its Facebook page April 10. “Today, thanks to the generosity of Johnny and some Hard Rock Orlando food truck magic, we were able to deliver lunch to our brothers and sisters at the AdventHealth Orlando campus. We will all get through this together one day a a time.” AdventHealth Orlando workers enjoy a free Hard Rock Cafe Orlando lunch April 10, 2020. (Hard Rock Cafe Orlando/Facebook) Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood delivered food and beverages to The Pantry of Broward, which supports seniors in need and grandparents who are raising their grandchildren throughout Broward County. “The Hard Rock mantra “Take Time to be Kind” is more important now than ever before. We care. We share. We are proud to support The Pantry of Broward with a delivery of food and beverage items to support the families and friends within our community at this time. #AllIsOne,” Hard Rock Hollywood posted on Facebook on March 25. Food from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood is delivered to The Pantry of Broward in March. (Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood/Facebook) Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa donated more than 11,000 pounds of food to Metropolitan Ministries on March 24 in support of the Ministries’ initiative to serve 3,000 to-go meals at 25 locations daily during the COVID-19 crisis. The organization helps the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless in the Tampa Bay area. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa donates food to Tampa Metropolitan Ministries on March 24, 2020. (Hard Rock Tampa/Facebook) “We’re thankful to have such an amazing community partner and for the opportunity to give back to our Tampa Bay community,” Hard Rock Tampa wrote on Facebook. Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee provided a big boost to Community Cooperative in Southwest Florida with the donation of thousands of pounds of food. Community Cooperative is a Fort Myers-based soup kitchen that provides meals and assistance to those in need, including homeless people and home-bound seniors. Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee donates food to Community Cooperative in March 2020. (Seminole Casino Hotel/Facebook ) “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do! Thank you Seminole Casino for donating all of the perishable foods from your restaurant so we can make meals for folks in need,” the Cooperative posted on Facebook. “We are honored to partner with them and donate 7,000 pounds of food, enough to provide over 3,000 meals,” Seminole Casino Hotel posted on Facebook on March 24. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek donated food to a variety of area charities, including Gateway Community Outreach, SOS Children’s Villages – USA, Kids in Distress, Family Central, Tomorrow’s Rainbow and Teen Challenge. Gateway is a Deerfield Beach-based organization that serves Broward and Palm Beach counties. Its mission is “to safeguard and protect our most vulnerable community members by providing intensive case management, food, housing assistance, referrals to those in need of emergency aid.” Seminole Casino Coconut Creek donates food to Gateway Community Outreach in March 2020. (Seminole Casino Coconut Creek/Facebook ) “Let’s spread hope and food! Thank you to the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek!” Gateway posted on Facebook. Fort Lauderdale-based Kids in Distress (KID) helps families, including children who have been abused or neglected. “A big thank you to Seminole Casino Coconut Creek who dropped off a large food donation this week. This food helped feed the many families and children that we serve in community. We are so blessed to have such caring partners that go above and beyond, especially in times of need,” KID said March 27 on Facebook. New Jersey organizations that help feed people in need received a lift thanks to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. In mid-March, Hard Rock donated two truckloads of food to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and Turning Point Day Center for the Homeless. “Though uncertain and frightening, times of crisis can also inspire incredible acts of kindness,” Community FoodBank posted on Facebook. “Our friends at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City have come to our aid, donating a tractor-trailer load of food to help us feed individuals, families, and communities in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Community FoodBank of New Jersey receives a food donation from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in March 2020. (Community FoodBank NJ/Facebook) Thanks to Maryjane’s restaurant at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, first responders are given free meals April 6, 2020. (Hard Rock Hotel San Diego/Facebook) On the other coast of the U.S., first responders from the San Diego Police Department, San Diego Fire-Rescue and other area paramedics received free meals from Hard Rock Hotel San Diego Maryjane’s restaurant April 6. “It was an absolute pleasure feeding over 10 stations, 100+ first responders in the San Diego area. Thank you all for what you do during these times, not all heroes wear capes,” Maryjane’s wrote on Facebook. The Hard Rock Café in Biloxi, Mississippi, handed out to-go lunches and loaves of bread for its team members, many of whom took to Facebook to express gratitude and an eagerness to return to work. “It was so great seeing our team today! We had a couple loaves of bread and a hot lunch for each of them! Our drive-thru service had everyone in and out – safe and sound!” the Café posted March 27 on Facebook. Hard Rock Cafe Biloxi provides food to team members in March 2020. (Hard Rock Cafe Biloxi/Facebook) Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming donated 350,000 bars of soap from its hotels to Clean the World Foundation, a global health organization focused on improving the quality of life in vulnerable populations through resources, education and programs related to hygiene, sanitation and water. See the Tribune’s story here. Two major events scheduled for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens – the Miami Open tennis tournament and Jazz in the Gardens – were cancelled, but the facility has remained active in the fight against the pandemic. Its parking lot is being used as a testing site for thousands of residents. On April 9 – just two months after it hosted Super Bowl LIV – Hard Rock Stadium, whose naming rights are held by Hard Rock International, joined stadiums and buildings throughout the country as it showed support for health care workers by lighting up the stadium in blue at night. “Tonight we #LightItBlue in support of health care professionals around the world. We want to say thank you. Thank you for fighting on the front lines against COVID-19,” Hard Rock Stadium posted on Facebook. “With your commitment, we know we will be back stronger than ever.” Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens is lit up in blue April 9, 2020, as part of a nationwide effort to show support for health care workers. (Hard Rock Stadium/Facebook) Share on Facebook Share Share on TwitterTweet Share on Pinterest Share Share on LinkedIn Share Share on Digg Share