115 Lunches delivered to Sunlight Alumni Nurses on the frontlines of COVID-19

"Thank you so much, everyone! And thank you Brittany for organizing this! It means so much more than I can express! The days are long and hard but while we care for so many people that need help, we are being cared for by so many people in the community and around the country. And my coworkers and I couldn’t be more thankful! I work with an absolutely amazing group of people- from nurses, docs, respiratory therapists, CNA’s, environmental services, central supply, lab techs, secretaries, bed placement, cafeteria workers, the Starbucks baristas, gift shop volunteers, security, radiology techs, cardiac techs, pharmacy, and so many others! Everyone is working so hard to help everyone and get through these difficult times together. I am grateful and humbled by the generosity of so many. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!"- Code Nurse Michelle Sines in Fayetteville, NC

On Tuesday, March 14th, Sunlight Retreats had 115 lunches delivered in three deliveries to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC and Stanford Court Nursing Facility in San Diego, CA. I am the founder of nonprofit social enterprise Sunlight Retreats for Survivors of Rape, which are 4-day retreats that help survivors shine using the science of trauma. Once your team graduates, you become Sunlight Team Alumni that becomes your support network to continue the healing process. I knew we had three medical staff in our teams and I was so upset to speak to my friend Michelle and Sunlight Team Member on a break, who is a code nurse in Fayetteville, NC, who has been intubating COVID-19 patients, eating a protein bar at 2pm for lunch. I have seen her exhausted at the end of the day on Zoom Survivor meetups, crash into bed, alternating schedules with her husband who is also an ICU nurse to expose each other less. We can and should be doing better for our front line responders and I know many are working on getting them meals. If you know a friend who works at a medical or nursing facility and wants to help, you could shoot them a text and see if they can accept deliveries. I had a third team member who could not accept food in Colorado. I was planning on just ordering a $100 worth of food for my friend but wish it could be more, so I asked my Facebook friends, and in two days we raised $960, including donations from our nurse recipients. Thank you to donors Linda L. Katz , Maureen A Kirk, Larry Kirk, Rob Mullally, Diana Varco, Amanda Cross, Lori May, Lindsay McGowan, Kimberly Davis Solo, Tori Smallwood, Todd Little, Michael Sisois, Janey Jennings, Katherine Pennick, Gina Sinatro Mitchell, Tami Ritter, Brian Kirk, Kirstie Pfeifer, Susan Cunningham, Resilient Voices, Donna M., and our amazing Nurses Michelle Sines and Team 2 member Michelle! It was heartwarming to coordinate with Pina Naik at the Which Wich in Fayetteville on Skibo road who gave us a discount, delivered it herself, brought in extra team members to prep it and added lots of extra free desserts. Michelle mentioned a lot of the staff had been stress eating chocolate. I am sure a lot of us who are not in the field can also relate, and so if they want chocolate, let's get it to them. It's not like they can take a lunch break in their scrubs and head to a local restaurant now. We have another Sunlight Team 2 nurse in San Diego, who is working at a skilled nursing facility that is locked down by COVID-19. And they were thrilled to get a delivery of Rubio's Burritos, rice and beans, and desserts. They were so touched by the gesture and the medical administrator shared she wanted to support Sunlight Retreats in the future. We are all in this together and help when we can. It is a small gesture but it shows our appreciation for what our frontline responders are doing for us. We are going through a collective traumatic experience, and anyway, we can support one another, no matter how small, has the potential to shine through. I also have made a point to share that these nurses are survivors, because I think it is important to see that survivors are also heroes, helpers and we need to be there to support them in potentially the darkest point in their life so that they may continue to shine. So thank you donors for supporting them at Sunlight Retreats and now in the field as they are saving lives and caring for others. #shinethroughthedarkness