A group of people standing in a room

Caring for the Caregivers ready to serve at VA on Jan. 31

Caring for the Caregivers, a meals program for hospital staffs, is back up and running!

Our next planned VA Hospital-staff meal will be delivered to the church on Monday, January 31, and then delivered to the VA on Tuesday, February 1. It’s a Mexican food theme.

TEAM B is up (as well as anyone from TEAM A who wants to assist, as there are still folks on the Team B “injured reserve” list): Liz Farquhar, Susan Brown, Peggy and Larry Hanson, Julie Valenzuela, Jane Gisselquist, Doris Dorwart and Michelle Tinsley.

Recommended items:

  • Chips and salsa.
  • Burritos (meat and non-meat).
  • Enchilada casserole.
  • Fresh fruit (or fruit salad).
  • Desserts (always!).
  • Guacamole or tomatillo sauce.
  • Water/drinks.
  • Plates, napkins, cups, utensils.

Initially supporting the medical staffs caring for COVID patients at Banner University Hospital and the VA Hospital when started in April 2020, our focus now is on the VA, where help is most needed.

During our first run, roughly April 2020 to June 2021, Esperanza cooks made 1,000-plus lunches, mostly home-cooked food, which we collected in the church kitchen and delivered to the hospitals.

We suspended the service when things looked better last summer. When the Delta variant hit last fall, Chris Armfield stepped forward and replaced Liz Farquhar as the Esperanza point person, working with  Jayne Peterson, head of the residency program at Banner who works closely with the VA.

Our next planned VA meal will be delivered to the church on Monday, January 31st and delivered to the VA on Tuesday, February 1st.  This time, we’ve decided to go with a Mexican food theme.

VA Hospital staff enjoys lunch from Esperanza’s Caring for the Caregivers.