Frontline health-care workers are provided meals by Earls outside of the Health Sciences Centre on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (HSC FOUNDATION)
WINNIPEG — Some of Manitoba’s frontline health-care workers were treated to a complimentary meal Tuesday evening.
Donors to the HSC Foundation purchased food from Earls Kitchen + Bar for staff coming off shift at the Health Sciences Centre as part of the new Feeding the Frontlines program.
Following social distancing guidelines of two metres of separation, personnel lined up to receive their meal.
“Our goal is to rally the community in support of the health care professionals serving Manitobans on the frontlines at HSC,” said Jonathon Lyon, president and CEO of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation.
“We want to thank them, and we need to take care of them. By providing meals, our community is acting to nurture, nourish, and express gratitude.”
Dinner will be served again on Friday night, April 17. The HSC Foundation is asking donors for financial support to extend the Feeding the Frontlines program for the foreseeable future, and to expand the program to more nights per week.
Earls is also making it easy for customers to donate to the HSC Foundation COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund when they order food online from any of the three Winnipeg locations.
The fund has been making hotel rooms from Canad Inns available for frontline health care workers who need to rest and wash between shifts or before going home. The initiative has helped frontline workers manage the unique stresses of working in health care in these days of COVID-19.
“Our donors have responded very favourably to everything we have been doing and we are very grateful. But given the unpredictable nature of this pandemic, we need to do even more as a community to support our frontline heroes,” added Lyon.
