During the COVID-19 pandemic, much news coverage has focused on the healthcare aspects of the virus’ impact – those who have been infected, those who are asymptomatic, those who are most venerable and those who have died. But amid all that darkness, there has been another healthcare-related focus, one that is a bright spot.
Since March, Memphis resident Tammy Krag Rivera has put her time and energy into supporting frontline healthcare workers. Rivera is the woman behind the “Feed the Frontline” effort, rallying support from across the Germantown community and beyond. For more than 150 nights, she has coordinated and delivered meals to healthcare workers on the night shift at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital.
“On March 20, I gave a young hospital worker an Uber ride home,” Rivera said. “During our conversation, I found out that the hospital cafeteria closed at 7 p.m., and with area restaurants shut down or closing early, that most of the hospital staff on the night side ate from vending machines – or not at all.”
That realization spurred her to come up with a plan to address that situation. Her solution was to initiate a fundraiser called “Feed the Frontline.” She posted on her neighborhood’s Facebook bulletin board, asking others if they could help feed the workers. One person added to the idea, suggesting it would be great if meals could be provided by local restaurants.
“At first I was just thinking that people could join me in making sandwiches, and we could put them in individual bags with a cookie and some chips,” Rivera said. “At the time I thought we would be feeding about 30 to 35 people per night. I posted my Venmo and PayPal information so others could make donations, and by the next morning, enough funds had been collected to buy dinners for 10 days. I’ve been buying meals ever since, and will as long as funds continue to support our efforts. And buying the meals had the added benefit of supporting local restaurants and their staff.”
Rivera issued a call to action, telling others that if they could find the money, she would find the restaurants. And she did. The first restaurant to offer assistance was Huey’s in Germantown, at the corner of Germantown Parkway and Farmington. The location was close to the hospital and stayed open until 9 p.m.
“Giving back to the community is a standard practice of Huey’s. We regularly contribute, quietly behind the scenes, on a monthly basis. Other times we assist with one-time requests," said Lauren McHugh Robinson, CEO and president of Huey's Restaurants. "We were so grateful to be asked to be a part of this endeavor. At the time, our business was very slow.
"One of our area managers, Jimmy Lee, came up with a catering menu – something that we didn’t have before COVID-19. That menu allowed us to serve big bulk orders, like the one for Feed the Frontline. Our employees got very excited knowing that their efforts were supporting local frontline workers.”
Huey’s made 35 orders of cheeseburgers and fries, and Rivera confirmed an 8:30 p.m. pickup time. When Rivera arrived at the hospital, she said, it never dawned on her that she should probably ask permission for her actions. Instead, she called into the main number for the emergency room and told them she had dinner for the staff. She explained several people in the Germantown community had made donations to provide the meals.
Since that first meal delivery, the number of workers being served has grown to 65 meals per night for staff in the hospital’s ER, as well as those in the Le Bonheur side of the ER, the COVID-19 Unit and the COVID-19 ICU.
The roster of participating restaurants has expanded, too. Locally owned establishments such as Blue Honey Bistro, Central BBQ, Dyer’s Cafe, Forest Hill Grill, Garibaldi’s, Germantown Commissary, Skybox Grill, Soul Fish Cafe and Stix, have been joined by area locations of regional and national chains such as Chick-fil-A, McAlister’s and Mellow Mushroom. Smallcakes and Gibson’s Donuts have contributed, too.
“Even food trucks have brought their fare to the hospital,” said Rivera, whose son, Barrett, has gone with her almost every night to help load and deliver the meals. "Grisanti 9 Dough 1, Busy Bees Kitchen, Say Cheese and Smurfey’s Smokehouse regularly assist, and we are always looking for others that want to partner in this effort.”
And with 40,000 boxes of Girl Scouts cookies left unsold because of the pandemic, boxes of cookies have been purchased and donated so they can be included with the meals almost every week.
Feed the Frontline also has picked up national support.
"After about 30 days, someone told the media liaison at Uber what we were doing, and she contacted me saying that she wanted to share our story with their media partners. The thought was that maybe it would encourage others to do something similar in their own communities," Rivera said. "A couple of days later I got a phone call from Fox News asking to do an interview. While driving Uber one morning, I got a call from 'Live with Kelly and Ryan.' I pulled to the side of the road and we had about a five-minute interview via Zoom over my phone. That coverage led to Dole Food Co. donating $5,000 and a year’s worth of fruit cups. And it brought in monetary donations from across the country.”
By the end of April, this mission of goodwill caught the attention of the producer of Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk.” They called Rivera to interview her for a segment for their Mother’s Day show about what mothers were doing to help during the pandemic. The segment included an interview while they walked through Rivera’s neighborhood and ended at the dining room table in her home where she organizes the fundraiser. Subsequently, the Smith Family Foundation gave Rivera a car, a Ford Escape, to assist with her deliveries. The car was purchased at AutoNation on U.S. 64, which also donated $5,000.
The hospital appreciates – and is inspired by – the Feed the Frontline efforts, said Rebecca Cullison, president of Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital.
“I have talked to Tammy several times and I think what stands out is that they have been able to maintain this effort for 150 days and counting," Cullison said. "It really speaks to our ‘power of one’ culture, that one person can make a difference by leading the efforts. It’s a great thing, and we’re very appreciative. It is very inspiring to our employees to know that the community is behind us for all that we’re doing during a very difficult time.”
How to help
If you would like to support Feed the Frontline, visit @Tamara-Rivera-26 on Venmo, wethreesing@gmail.com on PayPal or #feedthefrontline Germantown, TN on gofundme.com.
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Feed the Frontline: Memphis woman's idea, community support continue to help hospital workers - Commercial Appeal
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