LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The staff at Southern Hills Hospital was well fed Friday night thanks to the donation of 400 hot meals. The move was meant to thank the men and women who have been fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines.
"Just being with our patients, seeing them recover, is some of the best motivating factors for us. But, these extra things that the Las Vegas community is providing, it's just the extra little bit we need to make it through this crisis," said Ben Rawcliffe, who manages the critical care wing at Southern Hills Hospital.
The donation was the product of a partnership between the developers of Uncommons, a new mixed-use development being built nearby. They wanted a way to thank their new neighbors.
"We just wanted to say thank you in a very significant way to the healthcare workers and especially the night shift workers. We were thinking, maybe they're a little overlooked, so we just wanted to tell them and express to them, via a great meal, to say we support you and we're with you 100%," said Kevin Burke, president and CEO of Burke Construction Group.
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The 400 donated meals were made by two Las Vegas restaurants, Lotus of Siam and Sushi Kame.
"Knowing they're working night and day, the little thing that we could do is bring them a hot plate of food that's something they don't have to eat out of the cafeteria," said Kenny Okada, general manager at Lotus of Siam.
"At this time, everybody needs to have their immune systems up. They need to be healthy and so, we don't want to give them something that's not going to help the doctors because they definitely need all of them," added Penny Chutima, owner of Lotus of Siam.
They take care of us. We want to take care of them," said Young Sup Kim, chef and owner of Sushi Kame.
And as happy as the Southern Hills hospital workers were to have a hot meal, they were even more grateful to have the support of the community.
"Just knowing we've got the support of the Las Vegas community, their love and support, donating in whatever way they can, sometimes that's just the thing we need to get us through the day, especially on those overly stressful ones," said Rawcliffe.
Friday's donation is part of a larger program from UnCommons, aimed at donating thousands of meals to hospitals all across the Las Vegas Valley. For more information on their efforts, click this link.
