Volunteers Deliver Baskets Of Snacks To Hospital Workers Battling Coronavirus
PELHAM, NH (CBS) - Lisa Celata's Pelham, New Hampshire garage has become a warehouse of sorts for something that seems so small. "Just knowing I'm giving back to essential workers when I'm fortunate enough to be home and have a job I had to do something," she said.
She's putting together baskets with boxes and boxes of donated and purchased snacks for deliveries to doctors and nurses on the frontlines. "It's grown from my 50 people to 1,000 at this point," she said.
Because what she's doing has gone viral, starting one month ago with a Facebook page #BasketOp.
She has a spreadsheet now of over 50 hospitals putting in requests, and volunteers helping with deliveries. It's created a network of people getting the baskets to the hospitals like Mass General where nurse Karen Bielecki says they've become essential. "The staff is really busy they don't have time to sit and eat a whole meal," Bielecki said. "Grabbing protein bars and snacks to go has been great."
With monetary donations, Lisa Celata buys in bulk, but people have also been shipping boxes of snacks to her or dropping them at her front door. "It's been so humbling and so amazing to see what people are willing to do and willing to give," said Celata.
She's already made over 100 deliveries, building up the baskets on a daily basis with her children and their friends writing notes of appreciation. Now she's trying to fill the gaps. "The day team may get it, but the night team doesn't so we're trying to get to different shifts at this point," she explained.
It seems so small but it's filling a need for healthcare workers and for Lisa Celata's army of volunteers.