MINNEAPOLIS — During this time of great need, non-profits are feeling a financial pinch. But Firefighters for Healing is stepping up to help other heroes in the fight against the coronavirus.
The non-profit typically focuses on helping children with burn injuries, first responders, and their families, but now they're adding doctors and nurses on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 to their list.
"Even though I can't be boots on the ground and being on the rigs anymore, which is really really hard and I miss it, but I feel like I am that person just in a different role and capacity," says Jake LaFerriere, a former Minneapolis firefighter and FF4H founder.
His organization is donating $10,000 to the Hennepin Heroes Fund, a new non-profit helping health care workers on the front lines.
Money from the Hennepin Heroes Fund will provide healthcare workers with more personal protection equipment, food, technology and supplies, as well as mental and spiritual care. "These are the opportunities to spread our wings and touch more lives outside of what we are doing," says LaFerriere.
Theses are things Dr. Michael Belzer, Senior Medical Director at Hennepin Healthcare, says we need now more ever.
"Most of us are working at home remotely while the front line staff is taking care of patients," Belzer says. "So we thought the right thing to do is to set up a fund and pay for and help support those services that were not funded by hospital operations."
Dr. Belzer says that although we're facing extraordinary challenges together, we can make a positive impact.
"Characteristic of Firefighters For Healing, they reached out to us asking how they could help us, rather than us turning to them... asking for a donation. So this is just another example of two very missioned organizations tying their wagons together to help the community," Belzer explained.
Along with their donation, FF4H will be stationed at the corner of Chicago and 8th Ave in Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 28 at 10:00 a.m. to deliver coffee and muffins to the Hennepin Healthcare staff to show their appreciation.