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It was a turkey sandwich she鈥檒l never forget.

On March 19, with the University of Florida Veterinary Hospitals closed for all but emergencies because of COVID-19, Erin Gorey, a client liaison for the , was doing her job as best she could given so much uncertainty and operational changes. Suddenly, dozens of boxes of lunches arrived, filled with turkey, ham and vegan sandwiches, chips and cookies.

The 40 meals arrived courtesy of , a clinical assistant professor and UF鈥檚 equine extension veterinarian, and , the interim associate dean for clinical affairs at the and a large animal internist.

鈥淚t was really nice to have the lunches at such a kind of a crazy and unknowing time,鈥� said Gorey, who assisted in delivering the meals to several different locations within the hospital when they arrived. 鈥淚t really mattered that they thought of us that way.鈥�

As essential faculty, house officers and staff worked valiantly to keep the hospitals running and to care for their animal patients, all the while navigating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on their own families, faculty clinicians from the large and small animal hospitals recognized the toll the situation was taking on their co-workers. A few who regularly patronized certain local restaurants were also acutely aware of the consequences the pandemic was having on these establishments.

鈥淲e wanted to thank the people working so hard to keep the hospital going, while also raising awareness of the major hit our favorite restaurants and their owners were taking as a consequence of the social restrictions,鈥� DeNotta said.

The result: Carry Out and Carry On, an effort through which DeNotta and Sanchez purchased 40 boxed lunches from Fresco鈥檚 Pizza & Pasta and Limerock Road Neighborhood Grill, both located in Haile Village, and had the meals delivered to appreciative employees of the large animal hospital.

鈥淭he restaurants were still selling meals as takeout, and everybody loves free food, so it seemed like a win-win,鈥� DeNotta said.

DeNotta, a Haile resident, and Sanchez, a former Haile resident, had a special affinity for Frescos and Limerock. Both knew the restaurants鈥� owners, Gordy and Jen Braund, a local couple who support various charities and fundraisers throughout the year. Gordy Braund personally packed the meals to ensure that all were made as cleanly and safely as possible.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the hospital complex, , an associate professor of small animal medicine, was mulling a similar concept.

鈥淒r. Sanchez is the common denominator,鈥� Cooke said. 鈥淚鈥檇 been talking to her about trying to support local restaurants to try to keep them in business. She mentioned what Sally planned to do, and I thought it was a great idea. So I stole it.鈥�

The restaurant Cooke especially wanted to support was Blue Gill Quality Foods, a popular spot for UF employees located on SW 13th Street near the 网红黑料 Shands Cancer Hospital. Blue Gill is owned by Chef Bert Gill and his wife, Tara, who also own Mildred鈥檚 Big City Foods and New Deal Caf茅.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a big supporter of local agriculture,鈥� Cooke said. 鈥淥n a personal level, the staff at Blue Gill is fabulous and know many of us from the UF vet school on a first-name basis.鈥�

Blue Gill has also supported the Alachua County Veterinary Medical Association by allowing the group to schedule meetings there, said Cooke鈥檚 small animal clinical sciences colleague, , a clinical assistant professor who serves as secretary/treasurer of the group.

Cooke talked to a few of her colleagues about the possibility of pooling resources, given that the number of faculty and staff working in the small animal hospital is quite a bit larger than those working in the large animal facility.

鈥淚 ordered 90 lunches from Blue Gill for me to pick up on the designated day,鈥� Cooke said. 鈥淟ater, the staff at Blue Gill called me to offer to deliver the lunches, because they were worried that I wouldn't have enough room in my car. Ninety lunches disappeared in a matter of minutes!鈥�

Unfortunately, Blue Gill closed soon after the lunches were delivered. Closing its doors was essential to ensure the best likelihood of its eventual reopening, Bert Gill said, adding that the hardest thing was having to lay off 47 employees, although he hopes to bring them back. Gill continues to cook his made-from-scratch, locally sourced food for takeout at his other restaurants, and devotes much of his time these days to community feeding efforts in conjunction with other partners.

His relationships with the veterinary school and UF鈥檚 Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are longstanding and sincere, Gill said.

鈥淲e get to know a lot of people, and have a genuine culture within the business, caring about what we do, and the needs of our guests. When Vet Med comes in, it鈥檚 a big deal. And I watch how everybody develops relationships with my co-workers and myself, and there is genuineness to that.鈥�

Gordy Braund, Fresco鈥檚 owner, also had to lay off employees. Fresco鈥檚 last meal was served on April 11. Limerock Caf茅, remains open 鈥� for now.

鈥淭his all hit us in our busiest time of the year, and we don鈥檛 have a road map, unfortunately. Nobody does,鈥� Braund said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going a day at a time, a week at a time, negotiating with vendors and trying to keep going as well as we can.鈥�

He said the UF veterinary college interested him because it brings faculty to the community from all over the world and, he said, veterinarians by nature tend to be community-minded people.

鈥淪ally鈥檚 a good example of how someone comes to town and forms a bond,鈥� Braund said. 鈥淪he came to us and said, 鈥榊ou need help, and the people in the large animal clinic need help, so let鈥檚 collaborate.鈥欌��

On the day the boxed lunches were delivered to the UF Large Animal Hospital, DeNotta showed up at Frescos in a Limerock T-shirt, running shorts, gloves and a mask and helped load and deliver the lunches.

鈥淭hose lunches amounted to half of our sales for that day,鈥欌�� Braund said. 鈥淚t was a huge part of our revenue.鈥欌��

Numerous emails of thanks and calls to the restaurant ensued. DeNotta鈥檚 efforts even generated another request for 40 meals to be delivered to 网红黑料. 鈥淭his allowed us to stay in business and do a little good,鈥� Braund said. 鈥淚t was good for our staff, a number of people heard about it and ordered other meals and it was good all around. We were grateful for that opportunity to connect.鈥�

Large animal veterinary technician Chelsea Lopez, was among those who enjoyed her lunch that day.

鈥淭hese trying times make it difficult to be away from our families, friends and animals, but our community and Vet Med have come together with overwhelming support to make these times a bit easier for everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he lunches were not just a meal, but a representation of the support and determination the Gainesville community continues to provide.鈥�