SARMIE ARMY FEEDS FRONTLINE WORKERS
Eight churches in Hilton have united to give frontline healthcare workers a nourishing teat time treat.
Every weekday, for the past three weeks, the “Sarmie Army” has been providing frontline workers at Life Hilton Hospital with a delicious sandwich at tea time.
The sarmie drive, started by sisters Claudette and Caroline Storrar, was birthed from a “burning desire to simply do something to alleviate the intense physical and emotional strain faced by healthcare workers during this second vicious Covid-19 wave”.
Daily, Monday to Friday, around 200 sandwiches have been delivered to the hospital to cover both the morning and evening shifts. The churches involved are: Hilton Baptist Church, Crossways Church, One Life, Hilton Christian Fellowship, Hilton Methodist Church, Hilton Church of Ascension, Christ Church Hilton and Willie Van Zyl’s House Church.
“It’s been a great exercise in not only uniting churches, but bringing some practical love to the incredible healthcare staff at Life Hilton Hospital. Every church has been so enthusiastic and passionate and the Quarry Spar has been beyond generous in their support of this project,” said the sisters.
“A simple sarmie is something anyone can make, so with masks on and sanitisers in hand, we’ve been able to show our community that we’re here for them. In its own small way, even a sarmie can shine a light.”
The children from the churches and some schools, such as Hands on Learning Centre, have also made cards and drawn pictures expressing gratitude to the healthcare workers, which were delivered to the hospital with the sandwiches.
Life Hilton Hospital has expressed its gratitude for the thoughtful gesture, saying it came at just the right time to offer some reprieve to the exhausted frontline workers.
“Just when we were reaching the peak of this overwhelming second wave and at our most exhausted, the Sarmie Army came to our aid. The sandwiches and messages replenished, encouraged and give our people a real sense of value and appreciation at a time when they were so utterly depleted, often having to leave home without even thinking about what to eat while on duty, never mind the multitude of challenges waiting for them. The emotional and physical support has changed our day. It’s impossible to put into words the gratitude we feel,” said the hospital management.