Feeling frustrated, Rounds Bakery owners’ Anton Novak and Sean Cary needed to get involved. “My husband Sean said, ‘This is an all-out war against this virus, and we need to do everything we can to help,'” Novak said.
Feeling frustrated, Rounds Bakery owners’ Anton Novak and Sean Cary needed to get involved.
“My husband Sean said, ‘This is an all-out war against this virus, and we need to do everything we can to help,'” Novak said.
Rounds Bakery Owners Sean Cary (left) and Anton Novak (right) Rounds Bakery
Mirroring the idea of the old Rosie Riveter campaign where you don’t need to be on the front lines to help, they got to work.
Since COVID-19 cases ramped up in the United States in the middle of March 2020, Rounds Bakery has been donating breakfast sandwiches, muffins, coffee cakes, bagels, and cream cheese to local health care workers.
Their delivery trucks have been making stops at COVID testing sites, St. Mary’s, Renown Regional, Renown South Meadows and Northern Nevada Medical Center from about 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. daily.
Rounds drops off food to St. Mary’s Rounds Bakery
“When we donate, we try and go a little bit further by labeling things for the COVID team, the ER team, REMSA, etc., and even the people that have to clean the rooms and security guards – all putting their lives in danger for the safety of others,” Novak said.
Not only is Rounds donating food to keep medical workers fed while they fight COVID-19, but they have taken it upon themselves aid the shortage of protective masks for not only health workers, but the public as well.
“Renown Regional had these mask kits they were begging anybody to sew I discovered something new about my husband – he knows how to sew. So he started sewing 25 masks a night for Renown Regional,” Novak said. “But then…we went out and bought fabric so we could make CDC recommended masks, 1200 thread count, and we are selling them in our store for those who want to buy them and those funds help feed our heroes.”
An Air Force veteran and former international pilot, Novak has even called upon his friends from overseas to help aid the shortage of masks in the area.
“I have friends in Hong Kong. A friend of mine works for this company that makes masks, so I said, ‘Ship me 2,000,'” Novak said. “So they FedEx priority overnighted international 2,000 masks to my bakery and we’ve been giving those out.”
Rounds’ work in the community during the COVID-19 outbreak is highly admirable. However, it didn’t take a global pandemic for the restaurant to get involved in giving back.
The giving all started about six years ago when Novak and Cary purchased a struggling bakery with 11 employees about to lose their jobs.
They noticed their inherited staff was throwing away donuts at the end of each day, something that did not fly with Rounds. So they began driving the leftover goods to a homeless shelter.
“We did that for about a month and that became the defining moment for our business model,” Novak said. “We weren’t going to build this restaurant on the backs of the community, but we were going to build it with the help of the community.”
Since 2014 Rounds has truly taken that model to heart by donating over 45 tons of food and $100,000 in cash and in-kind donations according to Novak.
“We have two main pillars of giving, Sean’s family was in education and my family owned a restaurant growing up, so we say, ‘you can’t learn on an empty stomach and you can’t earn a living without an education’ – so let’s get people fed and keep them in school,” Novak said. “Those have been our two fundamentals of giving over the last six years.”
Just to name a few, the bakery has donated to local charities such as Children’s Cabinet, The Eddy House, Boys and Girls Club, Veterans Guest House, Nevada Homeless Shelter and Ronald McDonald House over the years.
A business focused on giving away profit is not always set up for success, but Novak believes Reno has helped this model flourish thanks to the nature of the people who call the Biggest Little City home.
“We are a very generous community to helping those in need, I think we have a deep understanding of the human existence and you can find yourself in a bad place and it’s not that you’re a bad person, you’re just in a bad situation – and I think Reno really thrives on helping those people.”
Rounds Delivers to Northern Nevada Medical Center Rounds Bakery
It’s one thing to be charitable and donate, but if no one likes your food…you’re not going to go very far. Rounds’ product has helped the business become a staple in the community but also has gained award recognition from places like USA Today, Reno Gazette-Journal, American Marketing Federation to name a few.
Want to taste some of their award-winning food? Rounds Bakery has recently converted its restaurant to a marketplace to abide but CDC recommendations. All food is made fresh daily and pre-packaged. You can step into the shop and not even have to talk to anyone by purchasing using Rounds’ self- checkout. They’ve even added everyday essentials to their store to help with the scarcity of supplies.
“We know it’s a challenge sometimes to have to wait in line at Costco for three hours just to get into the building. You’re exposing yourself to so many more people – so for the people that don’t want that big exposure, we sell eggs, milk, we sell toilet paper, we have masks, hand sanitizer, we have these things that we converted our business model and restaurant into a bakery general store,” Novak said.
The Reno Aces are proud to be partners with Rounds Bakery and the work they are doing in the community. Support Rounds and shop Local! The bakery is located at 294 E Moana Ln.
For more information on Rounds Bakery visit their website at https://roundsbakery.com/ or follow the bakery on Twitter @roundsbakery
—
Salem, Virginia (April 9, 2020) – The Salem Red Sox raised over $1700 during the recent “I Miss Baseball” fundraising campaign. Partnering with local vendor Press Press Merch, the collaboration included the development of a limited edition “I Miss Baseball” Salem Red Sox t-shirt. The efforts focused on supporting non-profits in Southwest Virginia, during the COVID-19 crisis.
LAKEWOOD, NJ – The BlueClaws have launched the Jersey Shore Hometown Heroes Program to recognize those going above and beyond to help the community during the current pandemic.
Manchester, N.H. – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays Double-A affiliate) have introduced a new donation program to support COVID-19 relief efforts.
Granite United Way is committed to ensuring that our community’s most vulnerable families have the support they need to weather the short- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. Granite United Way’s COVID-19 Relief Fund rapidly deploys resources to community-based organizations that are offering emergency relief to families and individuals in need.
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Flying Squirrels and Sports Radio 910 The Fan have partnered for the “Bring It Home Funn-raiser,” which will take place on Thursday from 2-6 p.m., in an effort to bring the Richmond community closer together and to help those fighting on the front lines against COVID-19 in the region. The radio fundraiser will include celebrity guests and prize giveaways.
April 13, 2020
In support of the local healthcare community, the Reno Aces and Reno 1868 FC will be donating 100% of proceeds from a selection of items in the Greater Nevada Field team shop from now until Friday, April 17. The proceeds will go towards assisting Renown, Saint Mary’s, Carson Tahoe and Northern Nevada Medical Centers, as well as Tahoe Forest and Barton Memorial Hospitals in providing direct support to the employees fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
MODESTO, CA – Opening Day is usually an incredibly exciting time for communities all over the country. Ballparks open their doors to the smell of fresh cut grass, hot dogs & cotton candy. Families enjoy affordable entertainment that features fun, between inning games, great baseball action and post-game fireworks. Friday, April 17th would have been Opening Day for professional baseball in Stanislaus County. Unfortunately, more important public health issues intervened.
The Tulsa Drillers organization will begin to participate in Tulsa Kitchens Unite, a program that has been developed by Hunger Free Oklahoma to help feed families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wilmington, DE – Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital For Children, part of the Nemours Children’s Health System, is seeking the public’s assistance in the form of donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies as the nation continues to battle the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. A contactless donation drop-off location has been set up in North Wilmington and will accept donations now through April 30.
SOUTH BEND, IN – The South Bend Cubs are offering an opportunity to help the community and provide you with a special memento. Fans can purchase a message to be displayed on the video board at Four Winds Field for a minimum donation of $10 and receive a digital copy of that message on the video board. All of the money raised will go to the Walter A. Meyer Food Pantry at the Salvation Army Kroc Center Family Resource Center.
“The Salvation Army, motivated by God’s love, continues to meet human needs through its Family Resource Center, ensuring that families and individuals have food to eat,” said Senior Kroc Officer Monty Wandling. “In the first two weeks of our drive-through pantry we have already given away 300 prepackaged food boxes to aid our fellow community members who are struggling during this time of quarantine. Your ongoing prayer and financial support of our service to the community are greatly appreciated.”
(Eastlake, OH) – In an effort to support COVID-19 relief efforts, the Lake County Captains are proud to announce a new ticket package in partnership with the United Way of Lake County (UWLC). Proceeds from the package will support the UWLC’s Lake County Relief Fund, which benefits food pantries, in-home grocery delivery for seniors, the Lake County Free Clinic and more.
TROY, NY – The Tri-City ValleyCats, Crossgates, and 98.3 TRY are set to host the anthem audition contest online! Fans can submit their unedited video 
During these difficult times, many of our local restaurants continue to serve much needed meals. Many of these restaurants are partners with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, and with your support, we can help these businesses continue to support their employees and serve our community.