It’s another way of saying thank you to our frontline health care workers.
Jumbo Care Packages --- the work of the nonprofit Operation Gratitude as well as Newark’s own Prudential and Mars Wrigley --- have made their way to hospitals in Newark as well as the police and fire departments.
Inside are snacks, candy, coffee, and handwritten thank you letters from Prudential employees and others. Are they helping?
Jim Beamesderfer, Prudential’s head of veterans initiatives, says you can always tell if someone is smiling, even with a mask on. He says they wanted to make sure all types of hospital workers were included, so there are letters addressed not just to doctors and nurses, but to forklift operators and truck drivers.
Prudential, Mars and several other companies put together $1.5 million along with $5 million in product donations to make this happen.
Over the past month, Jumbo Care Packages with more than 2,000,000 items and letters have also made their way to New York City, Seattle and New Orleans, reaching about 100,000 front line workers.