OAKLAND, Calif. –The outpouring of support from East Bay communities for the staff and physicians of Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center during the pandemic has been humbling. Community members from Oakland and Berkeley have donated cases of personal protective equipment and hot meals for staff, mailed letters of gratitude, and local first-responders even organized a mile-long healthcare hero parade –all demonstrating the community’s support for frontline healthcare workers.

To return the gratitude and give something back to the people who most need it right now, Heidi Voellger, RN, assistant nurse manager for the Alta Bates Summit emergency department in Oakland, organized a virtual food drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB). Together, thirteen departments at the medical center raised over $13,400 to help provide much-needed food for struggling community members.

“When the COVID-19 emergency took hold, we experienced a 1,000 percent increase in calls to the food bank’s emergency food helpline – more than half were from households that had never reached out for help before,” said Suzan Bateson, executive director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. “Communities impacted hardest by this emergency are in places where we’re already serving. Months into our emergency response effort ACCFB and its Network of Member Agencies continue to respond to unprecedented need and we are bracing for a prolonged response. Our partners will be critical for the duration of this crisis, and beyond, and we’re extremely grateful to Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center for stepping up to nourish neighbors – especially now.” 

“I know the sense of community, family, and comfort that food can provide, and I believe that nourishing the body can also nourish the soul,” says Voellger. “We love this community and have been supported by them for years. Now is the time for us to pay it forward and share a little love!”