A group of volunteers is delivering groceries to frontline NHS staff who are left exhausted at the end of their shifts after tackling the coronavirus head-on.
Fuel Our Frontline (FOF) was started after alarming accounts that NHS staff struggled to buy simple groceries, in some cases spending hours visiting different stores following grueling shifts fighting against the disease.
The group, manned entirely by volunteers, snaps up grocery wholesalers who typically supply restaurants and then give these supplies to staff on the frontline – who then take the bag home with them.
It means nurses, doctors and others working for the NHS can go home and rest instead of worrying about heading to the shops after hours of treating and working alongside Covid-19 patients.
The project began after photographs and videos of NHS staff walking down bare shelves and aisles that had been stripped of essentials shocked many up and down the country.
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FOF co-ordinator, Mr Polak told Mirror Online: “Along with some friends who work in the hospitals, I decided to set up Fuel Our Frontline to help nurses, doctors and support staff in the hospitals during this crisis.
“It is a very simple but effective initiative.
“We bring large quantities of groceries to the staff directly at their hospitals, so they don’t have to go shopping after their long shifts.”
Starting from relatively small beginnings, the scale of the FOF project has rapidly grown in scope and is now delivering to dozens of hospitals.
Mr Polak added: “We are 100% voluntary and have delivered over 10 tonnes of groceries over 24 days to 31 hospitals.
"Our work does make a huge difference to those who receive it.”
Hospital staff took to social media shortly after receiving their essentials to thank FOF for their work.
One said: “Fuel our frontline, such a wonderful gesture for the Blackheath Team. Thank you, everyone, involved.”
Another added: “Thank you for the groceries delivered to Barnet Hospital ICU last Thursday.
"We appreciate all that you are doing to help us during this tough time.”
A third NHS worker posted: “These lovely people delivered Groceries to us at Croydon Univerity Hospital last week. Such generosity.
“Was gratefully received. Thank you so much.”
But, FOF is hoping to grow while continuing delivering groceries during the pandemic and is asking for help in order to carry on supporting the NHS frontline.
In a statement on its website, FOF said: “Please reach out if you are a food wholesale suppliers and want to contribute.
“If you can assist in any other way, offering any specialist skills and experience, please do get in touch.”
To find out more about the project, visit: fuelourfrontline.co.uk
