THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

While playing the "couch concerts" every Wednesday on Facebook Live, her wife, Kelli Carpenter, a travel advisor and co-owner of R Family Vacations, wanted to do something to give back to the people working on the front lines of the healthcare industry. They collaborated with friends and Illinois natives, Steve Carroll and his husband, Jon Huston. The four of them, along with a few other couples, started pooling their own money to personally buy meals and deliver them to the hospitals.

Since April 1, Steele has used donations made through Venmo to provide these much-needed meals for emergency medical personnel.

Steele approached two guests—Darcie Trier and Stephanie Miller, who travel with Carpenter's company, R Family Vacations—about delivering to the hospital where Trier works in Chicago. On April 27, they sent over coffee and donuts from Somethin Sweet Donuts to several different units at Swedish Hospital.

Also, Carroll and Huston own a T-shirt printing company called SniffAPickle.com and started selling T-shirts that are "COVID humor"-centric. Each T-shirt sold provides four meals for the people working on the frontlines of the hospitals. To date, they have raised more than $19,000 in donations and served more than 3,000 meals.

On Wed., April 29, at 6 p.m. CT, Steele will perform "LIVE In Isolation, Part 7." The special guest will be out country singer Ty Herndon. Visit www.facebook.com/theannesteele/videos/10156940303302073/ .