Uber Driver Raises $12K to Feed Hungry Nurses During Coronavirus Pandemic

An Uber driver in Memphis, Tennessee, recently made it her mission to help feed healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

When driver Tammy Rivera picked up a nurse who had just finished work at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital on March 20, she did not expect what happened next, according to People.

“She said she was starving and asked to stop at McDonald’s, or somewhere to eat,” Rivera said.

“We just talked and I learned what her circumstances were at the hospital, and how she was working 12-14 hour shifts. The cafeteria isn’t open 24 hours a day, and she was working overnight,” she explained.

Rivera’s tender heart went out to the nurse, and she was unable to stop thinking about how she might help.

“It got my brain going — what can I do and how can I fix this? I wanted to find a way to feed the people that are in the most danger right now, those in the ER and in the COVID unit,” she stated.

Not long after, Rivera started a fundraiser so the community could buy food for the medical professionals working to combat the virus.

“I’m southern, so feeding people has always been my love language. It’s who I am,” she said, adding, “I simply put my Venmo information on the Germantown community Facebook page.”

Two hours later, generous neighbors had raised enough money for the first night’s meal, which Rivera delivered to the grateful hospital staff.

Since then, the community has raised more than $12,000 for a variety of meals from local restaurants, which included pizza, catfish dinners, and roast chicken with grits.

“That’s what Memphis does. Whenever you talk to somebody about this city, Memphis hospitality comes first,” Rivera explained.

Thursday, Rivera delivered her twenty-seventh meal to the hospital and said she would not stop until the money ran out or the pandemic ended.

“Every night I pull away with tears. There is such appreciation for such a small act. It’s amazing,” the Uber driver commented.

The effort not only put smiles on the nurse’s faces, but made Rivera feel good.

“I am my best person when I’m doing for others,” she concluded.