Jackson Co. organization aims to deliver weekly snacks, inspiring notes to Asante and Providence workers

MEDFORD, Ore — Local organization, ORD2 Indivisible, is giving back to overwhelmed Asante and Providence hospitals.

Last Sunday, the organization launched the community based campaign, “WE CARE.” The organization says it was started in response to, “the alarming surge in covid cases in Jackson County and backlash by local commissioners and conservative groups.”

Advocating for masks, vaccinations, and the wellbeing of health care workers are the main goals behind the campaign.

“It’s very discouraging for [the workers] to see so many in our community be anti mask and anti vaccination,” Teresa Safay, event coordinator with ORD2 Indivisible said. “So this was our effort to kind of counter balance their messaging.”

The campaign hopes to make weekly deliveries of drinks, snacks, cards and messages of support. It partnered with the Oregon Nurses Association and is looking for more organizations, supporters and donors to help.

“We want this to be a community-wide effort,” ORD2 Indivisible said in a release. “Whether your group has five members or 500, send us an email so we can add you to the supporter list and find ways to help. We need donations of money, snacks, and time.”

Below are different ways to get involved:

To donate MONEY, you can mail a check made out to ORD2 Indivisible to PO Box 1242, Phoenix, OR 97535. Please put “WE CARE” in the subject line. We have also set up a PayPal account and will post a link to it on Tuesday.

To donate (individually wrapped) SNACKS and drinks, you are welcome to contact local stores and businesses to see if they will donate and/or to purchase such items yourself. We will post a list of suggested items in the comments below.

To donate your TIME, you can write short notes and cards that say “thank you” which will be delivered with the snacks. You can volunteer to collect donations or use your home or business as a drop-off point. And we are going to need volunteers to help sort and bag items each week. Our first work party will be on Wednesday at the Southern Oregon Labor Temple in Central Point.

DROP-OFF: You can drop off all donations at either 120 High Street in Ashland or 20 N. Groveland Avenue in Medford. We will have more drop-off locations in the coming weeks.

If you represent a group that would like to join our campaign, or if you have any questions or ideas, you can post below. You can Direct Message us, or send an email to us at: [email protected].

Link to Paypal can be found here: Paypal donation

*KOBI-TV NBC5 does not guarantee money deposited to this account will be applied for the benefit of the person or persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering making a donation, you should consult your own advisors, and otherwise proceed at your own risk.