OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – There are currently 72 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Coronavirus in Wisconsin – and Governor Tony Evers has mandated all dine-in options at restaurants cease until further notice. However, curbside pickup and delivery are still options.
One group of heroes in Oshkosh is doing everything they can to make those options easily available for everyone.
“When we went independent with Zaroni’s, we picked a superhero theme because we wanted more heroes,” says Owner Jon Doemel, “We’ve always been extremely community-aware and community-active. We consider ourselves not just a business, but a neighbor.”
Jon Doemel is the owner of Zaroni’s Pizza in Oshkosh. And while they might be a superhero-themed pizza pub, some people in the community simply say – the team at Zaroni’s are the superheroes.
Zaroni’s has teamed up with several local organizations to provide everything from food to toilet paper.
“It’s not just us, it’s partnerships. It’s us, it’s Jake’s Diapers, it’s the Oshkosh Kids Foundation, the Heroes of Oshkosh, the Oshkosh School District. Everyone is working together, which is why it has worked,” Doemel says, “We rationed out packs of toilet paper, we only let people buy one pack – and it’s close to gone, we had ten cases last Friday, 400 rolls. We’ve got about half a case left. But that’s how it works when you ration.”
Zaroni’s and Jake’s Diapers are operating a drive at the Senior Center in Oshkosh on Wednesday – handing out bags of necessities for those who may have been unable to shop for them during the recent rushes at local supermarkets.
Zaroni’s also teamed up with the Oshkosh Kids Foundation and Oshkosh Area School District to feed kids in the community who may not have easy access to food – or schools set up to provide breakfast and lunch options.
“We set up five different sites for kids to pick up food. They had sites in some schools that were really great, but some of the areas hardest hit didn’t have a school nearby – so we made sure those kids that are living in extreme poverty were able to get some lunches and breakfast through this interim,” Doemel tells WTAQ News, “We’ve got a whole lot of graphic novels and comic books – we got a free donation that we’ve been handing out with deliveries so kids have something to read, something to do while they’re learning how to learn digitally.”
As for the actual shop – Zaroni’s is still open for business. Just not the dining room or bar area. Those areas were closed already on Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s state mandate.
“We’ve been doing curbside pickup and delivery only since then. We wanted to be ahead of the curve and make sure we had the procedure down and in place,” Doemel says, “We kind of almost quarantined ourselves as a business to keep the distance separate. And I know some people think it’s a little overboard, but we have to caution everybody because we’re trying to prevent a crisis here – not deal with one.”
Doemel says that decision was easy – and is in place to protect everyone from any potential spread of COVID-19.
“It’s not only about protecting the public, it’s about protecting the crew. If one of us here gets it, then we all have to self-quarantine and shut down,” Doemel says, “We want to make sure we take the precautions to stay safe – to get people who need food, the food – and at the same time stay open and keep our staff safe.”
Their partnerships have already impacted a part of the population in Oshkosh and surrounding communities, but Doemel couldn’t quite put an exact number on the impact.
“Potentially thousands, but right here it’s probably close to 800ish,” he says – crediting much of that impact to the other organizations.
So what was the parting advice from the legendary mustached Captain Zaroni himself?
“Don’t panic, do what you’re supposed to do, keep your social distancing going. This is just a detour and we’ll all be back on the road soon.”
Doemel hopes to remain open – and providing food for those in need – as long as possible during the outbreak.
