The first modern American hot dog and its iconic bun all started with a pushcart on Coney Island in 1867. Charles Feltman, a German baker, was just looking for a way to avoid the cost of plates and cutlery but his ingenuity would pave the way for the classic American frankfurter.
Feltman's — a veteran owned and operated company — has a strong connection to the history of New York. Michael Quinn, Feltman's of Coney Island owner, lost his brother Jimmy, who died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He understands loss — both the kind of loss when a loved one is ripped away and the kind a community shares when rocked by tragedy.
It's the kind of loss Americans — and people all across the world — are feeling now.
The words from the video ring true. "Every night at 7 in New York City and beyond, Americans have been banging on pots from their porches, applauding through windows, and screaming from rooftops in appreciation of our essential workers. We haven't felt such appreciation, such unity, such loss since firefighters raised an American flag over Ground Zero."
Feltman's is keeping patriotism alive by supporting the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors with proceeds from all online sales. TAPS is a nonprofit Veterans Service Organization that provides comfort and resources to all those grieving the death of a military loved one.
They're also rallying the troops to honor the collective loss felt by Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their Memorial Day 2020 video, Feltman's and TAPS connect the loss felt by Gold Star Families to the grief caused by COVID-19.
"Some of us made it home and some of us didn't. We lost brothers we shared blood with and lost brothers we spilled blood with. On good days, we remember our brothers with a smile and on bad days it's hard to not feel alone."
During a time when the medical field is struggling to treat patients infected with the deadly and evolving threat, it's hard for Americans to find information they can trust. In the video, however, we are reminded of what remains true and important: the virus is deadly and it is our essential workers who are on the front lines.
"This Memorial Day weekend, we will remember our brothers. We will remember our friends. But we will also remember the 70,000 families who lost loved ones to COVID-19. While we pray the worst days are behind us, we know as Gold Star Families, the hardest days are still ahead for them."
From the graves of fallen service members to masked nurses in hospitals to images of Americans enduring at home, the video reminds us all to come together — just as we did after 9/11.
"This Memorial Day, we'll enjoy spending time with our families and friends safely, but at 7 p.m., we will go out on our porches, we will peer out our windows, we will bang on our pots and pans, we'll applaud, we'll scream from the rooftops for all of these families to hear, and to collectively send a message: You are not alone."
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