Concern for the difficult situation that the front line workers are in as a result of Covid-19 was forefront in the minds of sisters-in-law Melissa and Michelle Yeager of Greece. They wanted to find a way to support the heroes of the pandemic, the first responders, the medical community, doctors and nurses in hospitals and nursing homes, and also the medical support staff, the people out there risking their lives everyday. “We were searching for a way to help, much the same way many people in our community are doing. It was actually the brain child of Melissa to source snacks and drinks for frontline workers,” Michelle Yeager said.
“We wanted a safe way for a food drive where people that want to donate can be confident that they will be safe, can participate from home, and have a way to limit contact between people,” Melissa Yeager said. The result is the formation of their “Fuel the Front Line” movement. The women chose Facebook as the platform to get the word out to the community. According to their Facebook page the goal of Fuel the Front Line is, “Fuel the Front Line seeks to do just that – meet the needs of Rochester area front line healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re focusing in on food supply (packaged snacks, drinks, food delivery gift cards) and messages of encouragement.”
Melissa and Michelle devised a “Porch Pick-Up” plan where every Saturday they go out and pick up donations from community members who want to participate in the program. “People can message us through our Facebook page and leave their address with us. On Saturday mornings we do a drive by and collect the donations from the porches of the people who want to donate. It started with just friends and then by word of mouth and social media it has grown from there,” Melissa said.
Melissa and Michelle, and with the help of some volunteers, have been collecting donations every Saturday from 8AM to Noon since mid-March, and the results are outstanding. Currently they collect approximately four car loads of donations each Saturday, which equals a garage full of snacks, drinks and cards for front line workers which they deliver to hospitals and nursing homes. Michelle said, “People were looking to do something good for their community. I feel like Santa Claus when we are out driving around. If we come across a nursing home we call the front desk and tell them what we are about and after the OK we go in with snacks, drinks and gifts, the workers are so happy. It really brightens their day.” The gifts are not just the snacks, but also include well wishes of support, appreciation and love that goes along with the small gifts. Both Melissa and Michelle agree that they get such good feelings from doing this work that they “want to do it for the rest of our lives.”
For people who want to get involved but don’t want to leave things on their porch, donations for Fuel the Front Line are being accepted at First Bible Baptist Church, 990 Manitou Road, Hilton and Northridge Church, 2052 Saint Paul Street in Irondequoit.
Donation items that Fuel the Front Line are looking for include:
• Individually wrapped snacks (i.e. chips, nuts, protein bars, single serve cereals, fruit snacks, wrapped candy, gum, etc.)
• Cases of single-serve drinks (i.e. Gatorade, soda, iced tea, seltzer water, etc.)
• Cards and notes of thanks and encouragement – so you can get your kids involved as well.
On May 9th, Fuel the Front teamed up with The Town of Greece for their mask distribution event. The event had over 20,000 cars pass through the Department of Public Works building on Long Pond Road. During the four hour event, approximately 250,000 masks were passed out to residents. Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich volunteered his time and assisted with passing out the masks and collecting the food donations for Fuel the Front Line. Reilich said, “I would like to thank all of our volunteers who gave up their entire Saturday to assist their neighbors – several volunteers arrived at 6:00AM to start preparing. The mask distribution event was held in conjunction with the Fuel the Frontline Food Collection Event, which was another great way for us to partner with the community in giving back to those doctors, nurses and health care professional working the front lines of COVID-19. We collected hundreds of pounds of food for our frontline workers who are helping COVID-19 patients in our hospitals and nursing homes. We were happy to join Fuel the Frontline founders and Greece residents Melissa and Michelle Yeager in collecting this food as a way to say “thank you” to those who are tirelessly caring for people affected by the virus.”
When asked about what they have learned through their efforts in founding and working on the Fuel the Front Line movement both Michelle and Melissa said it has impacted them greatly. Michelle said, “I think what has impressed me most is how willing people are to get involved to help our frontline workers. It just shows how awesome our community is and how they band together and do something good. We are all nervous and all scared about how to handle this pandemic. This has shown me that we are capable of solidarity, working together to help others. And people also realize how the front liners are going into something risky and endangering their own health and the health of their families to help others. People are learning about the heroes in their community.”
Melissa, who is a registered nurse, said, “I think one thing is that the community is learning what health care is about. It is pretty amazing to see people rally around and celebrating the medical community for the heroes they always have been. It really gives meaning to them to help other people, to realize that pouring out of yourself fills you right back up. We have some brave people in our health care system. Not just the doctors and nurses, but also the other people putting themselves out there, support staff, the janitors, and service workers. They are the unsung heroes of this pandemic. We are doing this for them too. When Covid-19 first became an issue my biggest worry was for my friends in the ICU, the nurses and doctors. If what they were going to shoulder was too heavy. They are bearing the great burdens for all of us. I have even more respect for them than ever before, and I hope the community continues to see them for what they really are, our heroes. During this pandemic there is the potential to polarize the community. Supporting the front liners is something we can all agree on. Everyone wants to know what they can do to help. Encouraging unity instead of division is something everyone can align with. There is no argument about giving and sharing.”
Melissa and Michelle also commented that the May 9th food drive was held during International Nurses Week (May 6-12) which begins each year on May 6th and concludes on May 12th, which is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Also that 2020 was designated “The Year of the Nurse and Midwife” by the World Health Organization in recognition of the contributions nurses make, and the risks associated with the current nursing shortages. They wanted to extend their best wishes to all the nurses working so hard to help us through this crisis.
If interested in participating in the Fuel the Front Line program with a donation or with any questions you can reach Melissa and Michelle through their Facebook page visit https://www.facebook.com/fuelthefrontlineROC/?epa=SEARCH_BOX or email fuelthefrontline@gmail.com
