"Dr. Deckelbaum is on my speed dial now," admitted Julie with a laugh. "He's my first call if anything goes down. To hear he's heading it all up, we were just blown away. He's been so great to us. We had just seen this initiative from the Staffords and thought it would make perfect sense for us to do for the staff back in Montreal."
The Petrys stressed that being able to give back while keeping things local was also a key part of their initiative.
"It was kind of a twofer that not only could we help give a little boost to the hospital employees, we could also give a boost to the local restaurants in Montreal that we love," said Julie, who also confirmed plans to work with a third Montreal restaurant to establish a similar program when it reopens. "We love all the local eateries there and have formed relationships with different restaurants, so it was kind of a no-brainer."
With three young boys at home, the Petrys have spent their share of time in-and-out of the ER since they arrived in Montreal in 2015, including two visits in a 24-hour period this season. Having friends in the healthcare world has given them a firsthand look at what life has been like for those working on the frontlines to battle the pandemic.
"These people are dealing with so much more. They're changing in their garages when they get home from their middle-of-the-night shifts and doing their laundry at three in the morning so they don't infect their house," said Julie. "And then they're dealing with all the other stresses that come with this, like do they have enough groceries? What are their kids doing?
"Our message to them would be to just know that everyone is thinking about them and we appreciate what they're doing," she stressed. "Even though there's nothing we can actually do besides stay in our houses and follow the guidelines, this was one small thing we could do to say, 'We notice you. We appreciate you. Thank you. Go have dinner or lunch on us.'"
