When I came home around 75 days ago - I was completely overwhelmed by the stories my mom was telling us about the hospital she works at.
They had created a COVID-19 unit, they were rationing masks, they were running 4X the number of ventilators they normally have - and while everyone was sending the nurses and doctors well-deserved lunches and dinners, the respiratory department wasn’t getting anything.
Growing up when people asked me what my mom did, I always said - “She’s a respiratory therapist - she helps people breathe.”
I never really learned much more about what a respiratory therapist did. And most people, I’ve realized, just assumed my mom was a nurse.
But the coronavirus pandemic instantly made me aware of the fact that respiratory therapists were the front line of the front line. You couldn’t turn on the news or read an article without hearing the word “ventilator” - and the people at the hospital that know how to run and operate and change the settings on and take people on and off of ventilators are the respiratory therapists.
And in New York State, it turns out there really aren’t that many of them. In fact, New York has the second fewest licensed respiratory therapists and technicians per capita of any state.
Traveling RTs are coming from out of state and offering to work throughout the pandemic - these therapists are incredibly brave, appreciated and needed. But they’re getting paid 3X the amount of money that local hospitals’ own respiratory staff make.
Anyway - all of this information was piling on when I first got home. It was making me anxious and stressed and nervous for my mom. And it was also making me angry and frustrated on her behalf - I couldn’t understand why more wasn’t being done to recognize their small staff.
I felt helpless to make a difference - so I started writing emails to companies to see if they could make a donation to my mom’s hospital and the respiratory department specifically.
I knew I couldn’t take away their fear or anxiety or help with the long hours and sadness they were experiencing. But I thought some healthy snacks, some essential oils, some skincare products for mask-covered faces, etc. would be appreciated.
And I was overwhelmed with how many companies showed up and donated - my house and the back of my moms car became a warehouse of donated product. I just wanted to publicly acknowledge and thank the company’s that donated - the donations were in no way dependent on me posting anything. I also thought it could give you some ideas if you’re looking to make gift baskets to drop off at a local hospital (or respiratory therapy department!) near you.
Bada Bean Snacks
Bada Beans wins for the cutest packaging! They sent two Bada Bean Bada Boom Box containers with 100 calorie bags in a variety of flavors. The Boom Box comes with 52 individual bags - 4 of each flavor.
These beans pack bold flavor, protein, and that crunchy-ness that I’m always craving in a snack.
I didn’t realize how many flavors there were!
Everything Bagel, Nacho Cheeze, Jalapeno Popper, Buffalo Wing, Zesty Ranch, Sweet Onion and Mustard, Sweet Sriracha, Cocoa Dusted, Mesquite BBQ, Spicy Wasabi, Sweet Cinnamon, Garlic & Onion and Sea Salt.
Thank you Bada Bean Snacks! These were a hit.
Juice Press
I knew that the hospital was getting lots of pizza deliveries, bagels, etc. and thought that the staff might want some immune-boosting healthy options for a change. Where I’m from, there aren’t a ton of green-juice shops, so I reached out to Juice Press.
Despite the fact that they weren’t able to deliver juices, they told me I could stop by the Southampton store for a donation of granola bars and ginger fireball blasts.
My dad and I took the trip out east on Easter Sunday, and they helped load up our car with 500 peanut butter Perfect Bars and 500 packs of the Ginger Fireball Blasts ( 100% of your daily dose of vitamin C from the acerola plant and pure ginger root - yowza!) that we delivered to the hospital!
Our contact with Juice Press was so sweet - she even made up a bag of fresh juices that I could give to the respiratory department specifically.
According to reports (from my mom), people absolutely loved the 48 granola bars and 30 individual bags of granola that Purely Elizabeth donated. They appreciated that they weren’t overwhelmingly sweet.
doTERRA
I was so excited when doTERRA told me they could make a donation of their Cheer Blend and Breathe Blend essential oils. I hope that the roll on fragrance blends brought some cheer and easier breathing to the respiratory therapists.
Cocokind
You’ve probably seen the pictures of healthcare workers who have scars on their faces from wearing N95 masks all day - so I thought I would reach out to Cocokind to see if they could donate some clean, healthy skincare products.
They sent some of their winter essentials kits - which came with facial cleansing oil, chia facial oil, rosewater toner and a My Matcha stick. They also sent one-for-all balms. These were a huge hit!
Glossier
Along the same lines, Glossier donated skincare products as well. I was inspired by Glossier’s leadership and support for the employees when the pandemic started (choosing to close their stores and continuing to pay workers). They also delivered on the donation front, big time!
Priming moisturizers, soothing face mists and balm dotcom, oh my!
Smart Sweets
One of the first companies to respond to me was Smart Sweets - it seemed like they answered within 10 minutes of sending my email with a super positive response.
And my mom said these were a HUGE hit - not only did people like snacking on the gummy bears themselves, but they loved being able to bring home a snack for their kids when trips to the grocery store were on pause.
They send about 15 boxes of these colorful, sweet and healthy (84% less sugar) snacks!
RX Bars
Boxes of bars! Chocolate Sea Salt, Blueberry, Peanut Butter - it was obvious early on that there was not going to be a tone of time in any of the respiratory therapists’ days to sit down and eat a meal - so being able to grab a bar that would keep them satisfied for a few hours of running around (hello, 13 hour shifts) were much appreciated.
Perfect Bars
Not only were 500 of these bars donated by Juice Press, but Perfect Bar was also willing to send me coupons so the respiratory therapists could pick up some bars on their next trip to the store. Everyone commented that these were super filling.
Picky Bars
Picky Bars sent me a mix of 18 of their granola bars and also let me know about an amazing initiative they’ve been running on their website - for $48.50 you can order a “Front Lines Support Bundle” to send to a hospital which I was happy to do with some money I had raised! Please consider ordering a pack for your local hospital!
The largest box to show up on my stoop was from Simple Mills, packedddd with their Farmhouse Cheddar crackers. These things are SO GOOD (Ok, I will admit I took ONE bag to taste test!)
Mental Health
There were also a ton of apps that were offering free subscriptions or access to healthcare workers for meditation resources. These included 10 Percent Happier, Headspace and Calm.
THANK YOU!!!
I also just want to thank everyone who donated to my personal fundraising for the Respiratory Therapists at my mom’s hospital. I’ve been able to bring them meals throughout the pandemic, which they’ve really appreciated. Plus, I’ve gotten to support local businesses like Tiger Lily Cafe, Carnival, Rubino’s, Crazy Beans and Town & Country Market (order the Cupsogue!)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
