Amid a pandemic era unlike any we’ve faced, local leaders—such as Scott Harris, Cathy Donnelly and Rachel Sapoznik—have dedicated time and effort to make a world of difference in countless lives throughout South Florida
Backstory: Since launching it as a boutique meal delivery service in 2011, Harris has overseen the exponential growth of DeliverLean into a food manufacturing giant with more than 300 employees. The company’s emphasis on nutrition-rich, high-quality meals for consumers extends to the health care community and its patients through DeliverLean CARE, an initiative in conjunction with Humana and CarePlus Health Plans.
Pandemic relief: At the onset of COVID-19, the company launched the DeliverLean Foundation in an effort to help families in need. In addition to collecting nonperishables through a tri-county food drive initiative, DeliverLean donated more than 300,000 meals with partners including NBA Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning’s Overtown Youth Center, the Miami Marlins and Inter Miami CF Soccer Team. “We also spearheaded DeliverLean’s effort to provide hundreds of thousands of meals to homebound seniors in coordination with Miami-Dade County,” Harris says.
Snapshots: “Seeing families and individuals struggle when I have the ability to help sparked a fire inside me. Seeing my friends who work at Mount Sinai was also inspiring, and still is. They’re putting their lives on the line to help each one of us; by feeding them, I know we’re fueling them to help the community.”
Pandemic lessons: “Food is one of the everyday items that people tend to struggle with during [the pandemic]. I knew we had to help the community. During our food distributions and senior drop-offs, I saw the joy, and, most importantly, the relief that we brought to hundreds of thousands of people.”