Staff members at JFK Medical Center in Edison receive a donation from Frappe Joe Coffee, a nearby coffee shop at The Shoppes at Colonial Village. — Courtesy: Weiss Realty Co.
By Joshua Burd
Tenants at an Edison shopping center are helping front-line workers in the COVID-19 crisis, providing meals, snacks and coffee to hospital employees and police and fire personnel.
Weiss Realty Co., which manages The Shoppes at Colonial Village on Lincoln Highway, announced that operators Frappe Joe Coffee and Brooklyn Boys Pizza & Deli were among those providing support to health care professionals and first responders. They are doing so with the help of community donations and support from Weiss Realty Co., along with the Share & Care Foundation.
Shetal Shah, owner of Frappe Joe Coffee, has been serving free meals, drinks and snacks to staff at JFK Medical Center’s emergency room since hearing in mid-March of the COVID-19 case overload. The hospital is located directly across from the shopping center at Lincoln Highway and Parsonage Road.
“We have served over 2,600 meals to our health care heroes on the front lines,” Shah said. “In total we have raised over $20,000 and will have delivered 3,400 meals by the time we are done.”
Brooklyn Boys Pizza & Deli took steps to support first responders in April by donating and delivering more than 300 pizzas and 120 sandwiches, along with face masks and gloves to the Edison police, fire and rescue departments.
“We donated everything we could before shutting down for a month,” said Benny Kica, co-owner, whose eatery serves Brooklyn-style thin crust tomato pies and specialty subs.
Colonial Village is part of a mixed-use complex that also includes office space.
“We are profoundly appreciative of our retail tenants,” said Jaime Weiss, managing member of Colonial Village Associates LLC and president of Weiss Realty, noting that Frappe Joe Coffee and Brooklyn Boys Pizza are now open for take-out and delivery.