Registered NYC nurse starts a campaign to provide free meals for healthcare workers in Queens

New York City has become the epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States. According to The New York Times, New York state (as of May 3, 2020) has the most cases of COVID-19 in the United States with over 310,000 cases.

As a registered nurse in Queens, Shiella Yap could feel the shift in the city’s environment both at work and on the streets of New York City.

Image credit: Shiella Yap

Yap is currently a registered nurse within the pediatric ICU department in New York City. Over the past few weeks, Yap has seen an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with COVID-19 and has since taken care of patients that have tested positive. In describing the atmosphere of New York City, Yap said, “The atmosphere out here is very anxiety-provoking. Every little thing makes people feel nervous and you’re always on the edge.”

At the end of March, Yap was finishing her shift when she saw a text message from her peers working at a nearby hospital. At the former hospital where she had worked, a manager had passed away after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He had transported a COVID-19 patient to the ICU without proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Yap said, “It really hit close to home because it was someone I briefly knew. He worked from the unit across from where I used to work and was sometimes the covering night nurse supervisor of the hospital.” Yap found herself bothered by the event. That same day, she decided to send a few of her friends that were working in the frontlines some money for midday coffee or snacks through Zelle or QuickPay. She wrote each of them a note reminding them that they were doing amazing things by working in the healthcare industry. “I wanted to do something for them - just to make their day a little brighter. I know that everybody is having rough days and nights at work.”

Yap and her friends. Image credit: Arianna Bayangos

Yap was happy that she was able to make her friends feel appreciated and started thinking about how she could do the same on a larger scale. During this time, healthcare workers have been working late nights and have been worried about contracting the virus themselves. Yap, like many other healthcare workers, is currently staying in a hotel room in order to avoid bringing the virus home to her family. She was inspired by the acts of kindness that she saw around her, such as people making care packages and her friend starting a fundraiser at the hospital she works at. Yap said, “The nurse in me wanted to do something more.” 

A few days later, Yap started Fuel the Frontlines, a fundraiser to provide meals for healthcare workers in Queens. The fundraiser had an initial goal of raising $4,500; the funds would allow her to buy meals from local businesses for these healthcare workers.

Image credit: Arianna Bayangos

Yap said, “The whole purpose of this is to support my fellow healthcare workers who are really out there, but at the same time, it’s specifically for the Queens community. Queens is the hardest hit borough [for] a few reasons.” Yap explained that Queens is one of the most ethnically diverse communities in New York with a high proportion of immigrants. These families may be living with their extended families in close space and they may not have the ability to work from home. Yap also added that language barriers could have prevented these families from understanding the precautions and the news around COVID-19. Yap’s goal was to uplift Queens healthcare workers with meals while at the same time supporting small businesses in the area.

To date, Yap has provided meals to a few Emergency Departments and inpatient COVID units in Queens such as Flushing Hospital Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens, Queens Hospital Center and LIJ Forest Hills. While Yap has surpassed her initial goal for $4,500, she plans to continue to provide meals for healthcare workers for as long as she has the funds to do so.

Yap said, “Even though there has been a lot of negativity and sadness, there are still a lot of positive things going on. So many people have been so generous and donating and sharing the page with their family and friends on all their platforms. The selfless acts and the kindness have been really inspiring and even the healthcare workers and the restaurants, everyone is doing something for these people who are living this every day.” She acknowledged that New York used to be known as a cold city where people will walk by others on the streets who are in need of help. “Now, there is so much positivity in that sense that so many people are helping out.”

Image credit: Shiella Yap

Image credit: Shiella Yap

 From the experience, Yap noted that the nation as a whole has learned a few things from this pandemic. “At the end of the day when this all passes over, we will all be able to learn from what’s happened, whether it be the healthcare system and how they need to prepare a little bit better next time, or do more for the people that work for them and not put them out there and put them at risk. From the beginning, our whole nation has been playing catch-up. With the general public, we learned to really share the moments that you have with your family, friends, colleagues and peers because you never really know what’s going to happen.”

Thank you to all of the healthcare workers, local businesses, and everyone who has extended a hand to help those in need during this time. While this has been a challenging time for us all around the world, we hope that we will remember the kindness that we have seen within our communities and that we remember to cherish the time we have with our loved ones.

If you would like to support Shiella Yap’s fundraiser, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/Fuel-the-Frontlines-Meals-for-Queens-HealthHeroes?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet. You can find updates about her fundraiser on Instagram (@fuelthefrontlines).