Blessing Hospital nurses donated 200 pounds of food and delivered it to Horizons food pantry on May 8, 2019, as part of their 2019 National Nurses Week celebration. Then, a group of those nurses put on hairnets and plastic gloves and served lunch to those in need at the Horizons Soup Kitchen.
Following is an article written by Quincy Herald-Whig reporter Ethan Colbert and originally printed on May 9, 2019, about the nurses serving lunch to Horizon clients. The story is reprinted with permissions of the Quincy Herald-Whig.
Tonya Newell sliced pineapples. Julie Harris tended the chili. Missie Martin kept an eye on pork and potatoes donated by Quincy University. Kellea Hendrian organized crackers for the noon meal at Horizons Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry.
The four women, who all work at Blessing Hospital, were at the soup kitchen, at 224 S. Eighth, as part of the hospital’s celebration of National Nurses Week. Hendrian is a member of the committee that helped plan the weeklong celebration, which included a donation of 198 pounds of food to the pantry.
She said the partnership between Blessing Hospital and Horizons was a “natural fit.”
“I truly believe that a nurse’s compassion and dedication goes beyond the hospital walls,” Hendrian said. “We felt that Horizons Soup Kitchen was a great partner for us because we share similar missions of serving the community and making those human connections with one another.”
Newell, who works as a registered nurse inpatient care coordinator for Blessing Hospital’s Emergency Center and the Hub, said a desire to make a human connection with soup kitchen patrons was what spurred her to volunteer.
“Caring never stops when you’re a nurse,” Newell said. “It doesn’t matter if it is your neighbor, or someone out in the community, someone in your church, or a complete stranger, when you’re a nurse you are going to care about them. You never know how you’re going to impact someone’s day or how you can make a difference, sometimes all it takes is a smile or being a friendly face.”
Horizons Executive Director Sarah Stevens said it is fairly common for volunteers to leave the kitchen feeling profoundly changed from their experience.
“I would say that when the statistics of poverty have a name and a face and you have that front-row seat to the story, then the statistics become so much more real,” Stevens said. “It makes it harder to not see poverty in the community."
Last year, the soup kitchen served more than 35,000 hot meals, which includes daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
“One of the side effects of poverty is poor nutrition,” Stevens said. “So for a lot of the folks that we are serving here, the only nutritious meal they are eating each day is the one we serve here. Our mission is to feed the hungry—body, mind, and soul. There is so much more than physical food.”
The nurses agreed and encouraged others in the community to get involved in supporting Horizons or agencies working to improve the community.
Hendrian said, “There are definitely numerous non-for-profits in the community, so find one that you feel that your team can connect to, that is the best use of your talent and treasures, and something that you feel is meaningful.”
In total, more than 40 nurses volunteered more than 100 hours during 2019, serving at events including community cholesterol and adolescent cardiac screenings, stroke and early heart attack care educational events, Blues in the District, Light the Park, and Bridge the Gap.