Random acts of kindness for our first responders
AS the coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt daily life across the country, Irish people are doing what they always do best... offering random acts of kindness.
Over the past few days, social media has been flooded with people offering to collect groceries and medical supplies for those in fear of leaving their homes, while businesses are giving free meals to medical staff working around the clock to treat those fighting the virus.
Last week, Seán Drugan, owner of the Vintage Kitchen in Dublin city centre, reserved tables in the restaurant for doctors and nurses to avail of a free meal.
Since recently deciding to temporarily close the restaurant because of the virus, Mr Drugan has pledged to cook a batch of meals on Wednesday to be collected by medical workers free of charge.
He told the Irish Daily Mail that he is making the gesture to honour the hard work carried out by medical staff.
‘I’m just going to go in early and do simple dishes like risotto and pasta. Just four dishes. I’ve got plenty of containers. Medics of any capacity from any hospital in Ireland are more than welcome to come in,’ he said.
Mr Drugan will also arrange for some of these meals to be delivered to a local homelessness organisation and will offer meal vouchers to healthcare workers when the restaurant reopens. He said: ‘You do feel a bit helpless. In ordinary times, the pressure and the stress of working in those places [hospitals] is bad enough, but now it’s just gone to a completely different level. The idea is to give them respite.’
Dublin restaurant Chimac is also offering food free of charge to medical workers. The company posted on Instagram yesterday: ‘Any first responders out there that fancy some chicken? Give us a call... and we can have it ready for you guys to pick up, on the house.’
Meanwhile, efforts are under way to collect soap and handwashing products for the 6,000 people in Direct Provision centres nationwide, as the country tries to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Sanctuary Runners carried out collections in Dublin, Cork and Galway over the weekend, where members of the public donated soap, painkillers and other hygiene products.
The founder of the group, Graham Clifford, said the collection was organised after they became concerned for the welfare of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
‘Centres provide hand-washing gels in communal areas but we wanted people to have their own products,’ he said.
The collection effort was supported by Nasc, the Corkbased migrant and refugee rights centre.
Nasc CEO Fiona Finn said: ‘Protecting the health and welfare of the most vulnerable and marginalised is critical if we are to effectively tackle the virus.’
‘The idea is to give them respite’