Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2021)
B4 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021 Heart-shaped art brings Struggling restaurants feed hope amid pandemic health workers to survive By DAVID SHARP Associated Press By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press FALMOUTH, Maine — Donald Verger has been putting heart into his art during the coronavirus pandemic. And images of those intricate hearts made from vibrant sea glass are fl ow- ing back to schools and hospitals that have been hard hit by COVID-19 during the pandemic. “The hearts hit a sweet spot for people,” Verger said. “People love sea glass, the color, the patterns.” Across the country, many artists fi nd them- selves struggling during the pandemic, but they’re also fi nding ways to give back during a health cri- sis that has claimed more than 465,000 lives in the United States. Verger’s efforts repre- sent his small but colorful contribution to the effort to bring people a smile, or maybe a moment of calm and peace, amid the isola- tion of the pandemic. He’s sent about 25,000 postcards of his hearts and landscape photography to schools and hospitals. He delivers them at 1,000 or 2,500 at a time. Employ- ers and teachers give them to staff, students and patients. Recently, he’s donated at least 10,000 with LOVE superimposed on them. Another 10,000 had HOPE superimposed on them. “It seems like a great privilege to do something that supports happiness and some sense of hope,” said Verger, whose studio is in Falmouth, Maine. Eileen Skinner, an administrator at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Boston , was handing out PORTLAND — It was the week after Christmas and coronavirus case num- bers and hospitalizations were soaring in Portland. At Oregon Health & Sci- ence University, the state’s largest hospital, morale was low. Doctors and nurses car- ing for the most critically ill were burning out just when they were needed the most. Then, the food started coming: hot and delicious individually wrapped meals from some of the city’s trendiest restaurants, a buf- fet of cuisines from Chi- nese to Italian to Lebanese to Southern comfort food. For staffers who only took off their N95 masks once to eat during a 12-hour shift, the meals were more than just food — they were emo- tional sustenance. “It’s almost like hav- ing a weight lifted. It’s like getting a surprise dozen roses or something,” nurse Alice Clark said. “We’re so grateful.” But the meals, paid for by a wellness grant from the Oregon-based insur- ance fund SAIF, also served another purpose: They kept struggling restaurants afl oat. As fall and then winter set in, eateries were folding under the strain of a monthslong indoor dining ban. The hos- pital orders — sometimes 150 or 160 meals at a time — were a fi nancial lifeline. “It’s kept the doors open and a small workforce employed. It’s been the most heartfelt catering we’ve ever done,” said Kiauna Floyd, third-generation owner of Amalfi ’s, a Portland institu- tion that’s been serving up Italian cuisine for 62 years. Floyd’s staff has pre- pared around 500 meals for OHSU, allowing her to keep a core crew employed after Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo Donald Verger arranges sea glass in the shape of a heart on Thursday in Maine. After photographing his art, Verger donates photos and cards to schools and hospitals as a way of giving back during the pandemic. cards with hearts with the word LOVE to more than 400 workers ahead of Val- entine’s Day. “You have to be in a health care organization to understand the COVID fatigue,” Skinner said. “It’s just encouraging to the staff that somebody is thinking of them.” Verger, 72, grew up in New York but considers himself a New Englander. Living in Massachusetts, where he raised his fam- ily, he founded the Chil- dren’s Discovery Museum and Science Discovery Museum in New England, in the town of Acton, Massachusetts. As a photographer, he’s renowned for his stunning images of land- scapes and lighthouses in New England. His best known photo is “Dawn of Peace,” which depicts sea smoke greeting the sun- rise on a subzero morn- ing on Thompson Lake in Otisfi eld, Maine. He merged his pho- tography with colorful sea glass that he began collecting on the coast of California. He began arranging the sea glass into images reminiscent of a Monet or Renoir painting. His fi rst donations came about after a brush with a tornado in Missouri while photographing the dramatic storms in 2011. The storm chasers became the ones being chased by a massive tornado that left the town of Joplin, Mis- souri. More than 150 peo- ple were killed. After returning to Maine, he put some of his images meant to soothe and to calm onto postcards with a message and the name Joplin. All told, he sent about 25,000 of them to the Red Cross, schools and other organizations. During the pandemic, he’s sent postcards to schools and hospitals. He recently donated to North- ern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine, and other facilities, in addi- tion to Boston’s Shriners hospital. Skinner and Verger fi rst met in Maine, when he donated framed photos to be used at Mercy Hos- pital when she was CEO. “Donald is a warm and generous person,” she said. “He shares what he does best.” Brittney Caldera From left, Oregon Health & Science University nurses Nick Greenwood, Callie Harling, Derrell Wheeler and Orion Meredith as they eat a meal delivered to the hospital’s front- line COVID-19 health care workers in January in Portland. laying off three-quarters of her employees. The restau- rant has been limping along with seven tables on an out- door patio in the height of winter, as well as takeout orders and pre-packaged meals-to-go. Amalfi ’s focused on man- icotti and lasagna dishes for the COVID support meals — and the restaurant’s deliveries have proved to be among the most popular with the recipients. “We want to do some- thing as comforting as pos- sible so when they are on their break and do get that lunch, it warms their soul,” she said. For now, though, meal deliveries to OHSU have dried up with the grant fund- ing, and the program ended on Jan. 19. Leaders are hop- ing for a new funding source to get meals running again soon. The three-week effort paid local eateries a total of $39,000 at a critical time. A similar effort funded by private donations through a now-defunct non- profi t called Frontline Foods PDX connected restaurants with Portland-area hospi- tals and clinics early in the pandemic, but then dona- tions began to fall off and the effort slowed and then stopped. That effort provided about 13,800 meals over three months to six facil- ities, including a veter- an’s hospital and a home- less clinic, and was a major source of pandemic revenue for 14 restaurants — many of them owned by people of color. “To be able to call and say, ‘Hey, I have $2,000 of business for you’ is just the most incredible feeling,” said Shannon Tivona, who coordinated meal orders and delivery for OHSU and vol- unteered for Frontline Foods in its earlier work. “The times where we’re not doing anything are really tough. The restaurant owners call me and say, ‘Do you have anything yet? Do you have anything?’ And it’s heartbreaking to have to say, ‘No, I don’t.’” But many of the same restaurants were called upon to deliver 2,600 meals to OHSU doctors, nurses, physician assistants, cus- todial staff and other front- line workers in the emer- gency room and on two COVID-focused fl oors — three times a week, for both day and night shifts. a smartER alternative WE’RE OPEN AND HERE FOR YOU! Our friendly and dedicated Physicians and Physician Assistants are available for all of your routine healthcare needs, not just for emergency situations! If you’re suffering from a headache, toothache, earache, backache, any illness or injury, or on the job injury, are in need of a refill of your prescription medications, or even a sports physical or DOT physical, our dedicated staff is here to assist you! We are open 7 days a week. We are located in the Park Medical Building East in Suite 111. We accept most insurances, offer a cash discount and also accept the Oregon Health Plan, WA Medicaid and Medicare. Kenyon Solecki, PA-C COVID-19 TESTING AVAILABLE! We are currently serving walk-in patients, same day appointments and telehealth appointments Keith Klatt, MD Sally Baker, PA-C habla español 503-325-0333 or Visit www.urgentcarenwastoria We observe the following holidays & are closed on July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day. HOURS: MON-FRI 7 AM -7 PM • SAT-SUN 9 AM -7 PM 2120 Exchange Street • Suite 111 • Astoria, Oregon Life happens... That’s why we’re here! Express Healthcare for Busy Lifestyles
