I have been searching for ways to be useful during the pandemic. I needed something to DO while worrying about my son who works in the emergency department of a large city hospital, far away from home.
I am a class-A worrier. I can worry until my hair falls out. If worrying burned calories, I’d be a skeleton. When my son is assigned to the Covid tents, I am especially active in the worry department. I clean out closets, move furniture; once I took down all the window screens and scrubbed them clean in the shower. That, of course, does nothing to help my son. So I asked him, “What do hospital workers need?”
His answer: “Food.” The hospital cafeterias are closed. After a 12-hour shift, he is too tired to cook a healthy meal or even visit a grocery store.
If I could, I’d fly to his city and prepare his meals. Instead, I sent him a pre-made meal, expertly packaged and wrapped with love, overnight express. It sat at his door for nine hours waiting for him to return from his shift. Nine hours in the hot desert sun.
Then, I had an idea. If I couldn’t feed my child, I’d feed someone else’s. I’d send a healthy and balanced meal to the staff of the local hospital’s emergency department. I called the main ER phone number and asked how many people work in the emergency department on a given night. Nurses, doctors, technicians, janitors. Everyone. Then, I called a restaurant we have frequented over the years, a local establishment with great food and excellent heart. The owner, grateful for the income and the opportunity, doubled the number of meals and threw in desserts for free.
Food! How easy is that!?
