Noodles For Nurses Impacts Health-Care Heroes, Restaurant Industry

During this time it's important to make sure our first-responders are taken care of. Sometimes it's as simple as making sure they have something to eat. That’s what Lindsey Hill is doing.

“That is the Oklahoma Standard,” she says.

Generosity is what brings it all together. Hill began 'Noodles for Nurses' at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s just a play on words. It’s not just for nurses; it’s for everyone in the hospitals," Hill said.

The program helps deliver hot meals to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the outbreak. Hill is partnering with her friend Amber Leonard to make it all happen.

“It feels good to care for those nurses while they’re caring for the families of Oklahoma,” said Leonard.

As a registered nurse, she understands the current challenges for medical professionals.

“We are very susceptible to compassion fatigue. This is a real thing, you know? Constantly caring for others, so I love that this replenishes us,” she said.

Noodles for Nurses also supports the restaurant industry.

“It kind of reminds us that we’re not the only ones fighting this fight,” she said.

When donations are made to the program -- orders are placed with local restaurants such as Cafe 7.

“When you show up to the hospital, you see them look through the door. You see the excitement on their face like “Oh, my God! Hot Food!’”

More than 1,000 meals have already been donated -- and Noodles for Nurses wants to cook up a lot more donations.

“Hospital staff just floods our Facebook page with ‘Thank yous’ and ‘You have no idea how much I appreciated this meal.' ‘This nourished my body. This filled my stomach.' ‘This made me happy,’ and I think our community loves seeing that. It is a cycle of happiness,” says Hill.