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  • I want to talk about the amazing work you're

  • doing with Frontline Foods.

  • Let's talk about this amazing organization

  • that you work with.

  • I mean, we're just part of-- there's over 600 volunteers now

  • with Frontline Foods.

  • And it is just--

  • we were doing it kind of grassroots with Octavia Spencer

  • and Joel McHale and other people here.

  • But then all of a sudden we realized

  • Frontline Foods was doing it all across the country.

  • It's 100%-- donations go right to-- and it's a win-win,

  • two-fold thing.

  • The donations go to restaurants to try

  • keep their lights on, try to keep their staffs

  • coming home with a paycheck.

  • And then they feed the ER rooms and the janitors

  • and everyone that's on the frontline.

  • Because it really is, it's incredible

  • what these nurses and doctors are doing right now

  • and how hard they're working and how long they're working.

  • And then to be able to help the restaurants

  • and-- it's fantastic.

  • And we're going to talk to Sydney,

  • who is the nurse that started this whole thing,

  • a little later in the show.

  • All right, we are back with Melissa and Ben.

  • You told us about this incredible organization

  • you've been working with called Frontline Foods.

  • And I really wanted to meet this nurse who

  • started the whole thing.

  • So from San Francisco, California,

  • please welcome Sydney Gressel.

  • Oh, my God, you guys.

  • Hi.

  • Hi, Sydney.

  • Hi.

  • So I am so happy to meet you and to be able to say to a nurse,

  • thank you so much for everything you're doing.

  • You're a pediatric emergency nurse.

  • And I cannot even imagine how exhausted you must be and how

  • exhausted all of you must be-- the hours that you're working.

  • So thank you, thank you, thank you for what you're doing.

  • And thanks for creating Frontline Foods.

  • Tell everybody how you had this idea.

  • How did you start this?

  • Well, I just want to thank you all first, because this is such

  • an incredible honor to be here.

  • Ellen, being on your show is a dream

  • that I have had for years.

  • And Melissa and Ben, this is our second Zoom call this week.

  • I'm so touched by your involvement with our project.

  • And I just really can't thank you guys enough for giving us

  • this platform and this opportunity

  • to talk about the work we're doing with Frontline Foods.

  • So, thank you, seriously.

  • So in mid-March I was texting with a friend of mine

  • named Frank, and he asked me, how can I help?

  • And at that time, I think I was doing a 16-hour shift that day.

  • And our hospital was mounting this big response

  • to the COVID crisis.

  • And so I suggested that he could sponsor

  • a pizza party for our team at the hospital,

  • as a morale boost.

  • And then that simple idea has blossomed

  • into this much bigger thing.

  • Wow.

  • Just that-- as simple as you said, well, this is a good idea

  • and now I start this.

  • And you've raised, I think they said, $3.7 million?

  • Yeah.

  • So how many people have you served so far?

  • Well, so now Frontline Foods is a national nonprofit.

  • We are up and running in 46 cities throughout the country.

  • We have an army of organizers, all volunteers,

  • including the few here that are on our show.

  • Melissa and Ben have joined us as organizers as well.

  • So there's about 600 of us.

  • And we have served over 160,000 meals in over 250 hospitals

  • throughout the country.

  • I believe we've partnered with over 500 restaurants.

  • And we have many more on-boarding.

  • So this has just become a huge, huge success so far.

  • And like I said, we're just getting started.

  • That's incredible.

  • That's amazing what-- an idea turns into something that you

  • must be so proud of yourself that you came up with this

  • and that it's so successful.

  • So what can people that are watching

  • right now-- what can they do?

  • What do you need?

  • How can we help?

  • Well, thank you for asking.

  • So I guess I would have maybe a two-part answer

  • to that question.

  • Part one is check out our website, frontlinefoods.org.

  • On there you can learn about the good work that we're doing.

  • And you have the opportunity to donate any amount of money.

  • It is a tax deductible donation.

  • $5, $50, $5,000-- whatever you're motivated to contribute.

  • And you can choose if you want to donate on a local level

  • to a particular city or if you want to donate nationally.

  • And our national funds are being distributed

  • to underserved areas, places that

  • are getting hit really hard with COVID cases

  • and have less infrastructure, less resource in place.

  • So we really want to support some of those communities.

  • And then part two is I could really use your support.

  • My colleagues throughout the country

  • really are just asking that everybody

  • please be patient and continue with the stay home.

  • The quarantine is so supportive.

  • It is literally saving thousands and thousands

  • of lives in the US right now.

  • It's very challenging.

  • I get it.

  • I've got two little kids at home myself.

  • And I know this is such a sacrifice that we are making,

  • but we're doing it for each other.

  • So if we could just get the message out

  • to stick with it, to be patient.

  • It is working, and we just have to stay the course.

  • Yeah.

  • I agree with you.

  • All right, well of course, we want to help.

  • We weren't just going to have you on and talk to you

  • and say bye-bye.

  • Shutterfly is an amazing partner of ours.

  • And thanks to them, we have been able to help

  • the health care workers and their communities

  • around the country.

  • And today they're going to donate

  • $25,000 to Frontline Foods.

  • That's amazing.

  • That's so great.

  • Thank you.

  • You guys--

  • And thank you, Shutterfly.

  • Thank you.

  • Thank you, Shutterfly.

  • Thank you, Shutterfly.

  • Thank you, Ellen.

  • Thank you, Melissa.

  • Thank you, Ben.

  • Thank you, Octavia.

  • Thank you-- wow.

  • Thank you, guys.

  • Thank you, Joel.

  • So many people have come together

  • to make this a success.

  • I can't thank you guys enough.

  • Well, we can't thank you enough.

  • And hopefully everybody will go to our website to find out

  • how they can donate as well.

  • Because even when you say that the hardest hit areas--

  • it really is.

  • You think about not just helping the health care workers,

  • but helping the restaurants in those hardest hit areas.

  • It really is a win-win for everybody.

  • So it was a great idea, and it's a great organization.

  • So go to our website to see how you can help.

  • Thank you.

  • We'll be right back.

  • Thank you so much.

I want to talk about the amazing work you're

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