Key West hotels give care packages to employees

Help for hotel workers

Managing Director John Trovato and hotel manager Evelyn Summer of the Casa Marina and The Reach resorts load care packages into the vehicle of a furloughed hotel associate on Friday, April 24 in Key West. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

Nearly 300 furloughed employees of Key West’s Waldorf Astoria Casa Marina and The Reach showed up at the Casa Marina on Friday, April 24 to pick up care packages for their households.

Human Resources Director Greer Cornell coordinated the relief effort by contacting the hotel restaurants’ vendors and purchasing supplies and groceries for each of the two hotels’ 340 active employees.

Cornell worked with managing director John Trovato, hotel manager Evelyn Summer and Andrew Rosuck, director of sales and marketing, to box up the packages and distribute them in a safe, distant and orderly manner.

Casa Marina and The Reach hotel manager Evelyn Summer hands off a care package to a resort worker. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

“We started at 10 a.m. and have already had about 200 employees come through,” said Summer. 

The care packages included two rolls of toilet paper, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, a giant can of soup, microwave popcorn and fresh vegetables such as a head of lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, onions and black beans.

“It’s absolutely money well spent and a great way to connect with our team members,” Trovato said. “Although most employees were furloughed, they remain employees and continue to have access to their health care benefits. They can also use their vacation time and accrued PTO [paid time off].”

Mandy Miles drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. An award-winning writer, reporter and columnist, she's been stringing words together in Key West since 1998. "Local news is crucial," she says. "It informs and connects a community. It prompts conversation. It gets people involved, holds people accountable. The Keys Weekly takes its responsibility seriously. Our owners are raising families in Key West & Marathon. Our writers live in the communities we cover - Key West, Marathon & the Upper Keys. We respect our readers. We question our leaders. We believe in the Florida Keys community. And we like to have a good time." Mandy's married to a saintly — and handy — fishing captain, and can't imagine living anywhere else.