In celebration of National Nurses Week, Foodlink had a special group of volunteers come in to donate their time Friday afternoon.
- It’s National Nurses Week
- U of R nurses donated their time at Foodlink
- They sorted an estimated 24,000 pounds of donations
“It’s a lot of fun. Just getting together with your co-workers outside of work, and doing something great to give back to the community,” Elyse Catlin, of Canandaigua, said.
Catlin was part of a large group that spent Friday afternoon donating their time with Foodlink, to sort much-needed food for the underserved.
“Today’s my first day with Foodlink and really knowing much about it, but they really give back to the community," Catlin said. "They donate to over 500 food shelters, daycares, adult living centers, hospitals and anyone who is in need.”
But Catlin isn't part of just any group. She's a nurse at F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, and the rest are other nurses from across the University of Rochester Medical System, not done giving back during National Nurses Week.
“It’s a testament to what they do," Foodlink Spokesman Mark Dwyer said. "And their profession is almost giving back to the community, day-in and day-out.”
It's estimated the nurses sorted 24,000 pounds of donations, enough to feed 20,000 mouths — and that’s just from their two-hour shift alone.
“We’re very trainable. As soon as you tell us what to do and give us a goal and put a little competition in there, we go right for it," Chief Nurse Executive Karen Davis said. "For the course of the whole week, we had over 150 nurses volunteer both here and at Foodlink sites closer to their affiliates.”
And if you want to know why they’re here during National Nurses Week, look no further than their job description.
“We like to do things for others. This was the most exciting part of Nurses Week that I was looking forward to, getting together with a couple nurses I work with and doing Thanksgiving back to our community,” Catlin said.