Feeding Frontline Medical Workers

Feeding Frontline Medical Workers

Across the country, medical professionals working in coronavirus hotspots have endured a lot. From anxieties about the availability of critical supplies to the tremendous emotional toll of seeing so much suffering, these healthcare workers have been through more than most of us can even imagine. After an exhausting shift, cooking a meal for themselves seems daunting.

Moved by their sacrifice, a group of friends and I decided to raise money to send a hearty, comforting meal for the ICU team at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center on Friday. In just four hours, donations came pouring in, and we ended up raising $2,000. This bought 120 BBQ meals, complete with lots of sweet treats, for the medical professionals working long nights on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.

We got word that these doctors, nurses and medical support staff really enjoyed the “comfort food” and that the gesture was a real source of encouragement for them. Inspired by the result, we decided to take leftover funds and apply them to a new fundraiser.

Now, this same group of friends is hoping to raise $6,000 to feed four hospitals in coronavirus hotspots: New Orleans, Detroit, Chicago and Seattle. For every $1,500 we raise in excess of our goal, we will add a new hospital in a new community. As of this writing, we have raised 32 percent of our initial goal in about two days. The GoFundMe page is Feeding Frontline Medical Workers.

We are teaming up with local restaurants and catering companies who have been hit hard by the lockdown to support their small businesses. We’re also working in partnership with the United Cajun Navy, a civilian volunteer force specializing in disaster relief.

We’re hoping that this can be a win-win, we help feed hospital workers who are stressed, and we provide business to local restaurants and catering companies who are struggling.

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Ellen Carmichael is the president of The Lafayette Company, a Washington, D.C.-based political communication firm. She manages Legal Insurrection’s public relations.

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