The southern division of Rapid Relief Team (RRT), an international volunteer organisation which supports frontline community and emergency service workers, thanked Otago and Southland health workers for their hard work during the past two years, and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Having recently saluted staff at Southland Hospital, RRT staff and several volunteers yesterday joined forces to provide lunch for about 400 staff working at Wakari.
"RRT is about care and compassion and those in the health service are at the forefront of that," RRT Dunedin team leader James Rawnsley said.
"It was an awesome opportunity to thank people who have been at the firing line for the past couple of years, and [give] back and show our appreciation for what they have done."
Staff received a burger and a drink, an offer enthusiastically accepted.
"We try to cater for a reasonably broad audience so we use a gluten-free patty and it’s all fresh, I’d say it’s one of the healthiest burgers in Dunedin."
While catering for a whole hospital’s worth of staff was a challenge, RRT’s biggest test to date remains: in a fortnight it would provide both breakfast and lunch for an estimated 2000+ staff at Dunedin Hospital.
"We had 24 volunteers on site today and we have a bigger pool than that, we’ll need 40-48 for the main hospital.
"RRT pays for all the food, although we have some awesome suppliers who have come to the party.
"We have all been recipients of the awesome care that they give or know someone who has and they all looked pretty pumped about it."
