In March, Rodger Collinson was suddenly faced with the prospect of working more than he had ever in his 17-year career with the Napa Fire Department. Demand for emergency services amid a budding pandemic could very well skyrocket, Collinson knew â but the same could not be said of Californiaâs restaurants, which were being asked to shutter their doors to the public and revert to take out service only.
As he wondered if there was some way to reconcile heightened need for essential workers with the unprecedented closures facing Napa Valleyâs restaurant industry, Collinsonâs mind turned to Facebook. Originally, the firefighter-paramedic said, the idea was to create a group to encourage his colleagues â firefighters, nurses, EMTs and the like â to ârely on local foodâ to fuel them during their day-long shifts. Collinson figured he would organize the page, which he originally named âSave Napa Restaurants!â and then begin his outreach to p