LUBBOCK, Texas — Malia Albin, a nurse manager with the Palliative Medicine Unit, started a food pantry for her floor at Covenant Health to help feed her coworkers.
“We felt like there might be instances where caregivers might not be able to get certain items, or maybe as a result of reducing incomes–some of them have spouses that are not working because of what’s going on, [so] we wanted to start our own food pantry,” Albin said.
With the message ‘Give What You Can, Take What You Need,’ Albin created the pantry a week ago.
“So we’ve been bringing items and just putting them here [on the table], making them available for any staff member,” Albin said.
Albin added if anyone needs to let another caregiver know what they need privately, it’s also an option.
“It’s really important that we’re supporting everybody in every way,” Albin said.
Some of the items on the table were beans, bread and rice to ease some of the worry caregivers may feel as they work through uncertain times. Albin added she brought in a pound of beans since they were difficult to find at the store. She added perishable food was also welcome.
“When they’re working so many hours anyway and going to the store and getting things, and then the fear of items not being available,” Albin said.
