Community groups aim to feed healthcare heroes at UH Portage Medical Center
A Portage County commissioner is teaming up with several community groups to assure healthcare workers at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center in Ravenna that they haven't been forgotten.
The groups are coordinating a meal next week, which 715 hospital employees are expected to enjoy during their meal breaks on Feb. 1. The effort seeks to raise $10,000 in cash and in-kind donations from area restaurants and businesses, and donations are requested by Thursday.
Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett said she has several healthcare workers in her family, and knows that they work long hours and face intense stress, especially when patients die despite their best efforts.
"These folks are still in the trenches," she said.
After talking to her family in the health care field, Christian-Bennett wondered what she could do to help, and delivered 50 pies to the hospital staff. That effort was so well received that she decided to reach out to the community to do more.
Christian-Bennett recently approached Ryann Kuchenbecker, executive director of the Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce, and Deborah Covert, executive director of the Streetsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Both agreed to spearhead donation drives in their communities. Other chambers of commerce in Kent, Mantua, Rootstown, Garrettsville and Aurora joined in the effort, and the Portage County Emergency Management Agency agreed to facilitate delivery.
Kuchenbecker said restaurants and bakeries also can donate food. A link to donate cash is posted on the chamber's website, and food donations can be made by contacting the chamber directly by phone or email.
She estimated that the cost of the meal is $10,000, and the effort still had a long way to go to reach that goal as of earlier this week. Donors who contribute by Thursday will be recognized on a banner at the hospital.
"We need to shine a light on our health care workers," she said. "We need a lot of help on this."
Christian-Bennett said she was confident that the effort would meet its goal. She said. donors don't need to belong to the chambers to donate, and everyone has a chance to participate.
She said she hopes the meal will boost the morale of overworked health care workers, who are "physically and emotionally exhausted." While there was a lot of talk about supporting health care workers early on in the pandemic, she said there isn't as much talk about that now, even as cases surge again.
"They need to know they're not forgotten," she said. "Other people have gone on with their lives, and they're still there. We need to let them know we still appreciate them."
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Community effort aims to feed healthcare heroes at UH Portage
