Elizabeth Overman, general manager of Olive Garden restaurant in Orland Park, and Nick Kapellas, general manager of Red Lobster restaurant in Orland Park, prepare a surprise lunch for the staff of Together We Cope in Tinley Park in celebration of a Darden Restaurants grant to the agency’s food pantry.

Darden Restaurants deliver double to TWC
Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in Orland Park treated the staff of Together We Cope to a surprise lunch at the agency’s Tinley Park office recently. The lunch was in celebration of a grant to TWC’s food pantry from the Darden Foundation in its inaugural Restaurant and Community Grants program.
     Olive Garden and Red Lobster, both Darden restaurants, chose Together We Cope for the local grant and brought team members to the nonprofit agency to serve lunch.
     “We’ve been donating food to Together We Cope for years,” said Nick Kapellas, general manager of the Orland Park Red Lobster. “I’m definitely impressed by the size of the place and the number of services they provide.”
     “This is a very welcoming atmosphere,” said Elizabeth Overman, general manager of Olive Garden in Orland Park. “We’re very excited to do more volunteering with Together We Cope in the future.”
     Kathryn Straniero, executive director of Together We Cope, said the grant and surprise lunch are good examples of how the agency thrives with the support of local business. “We are proud to have Darden Restaurants as a partner in our work with local families experiencing temporary crises,” Straniero said.
     Together We Cope serves more than 60 families per day in its food pantry, and helps other families with financial assistance and with clothing through its resale shop.