Food truck gives free meals to Lee Memorial Hospital workers

A husband-and-wife team of food truck owners is giving back to frontline health care workers in Fort Myers in a tasty way to thank them for their hard work during the COVID-19 surge and before.

A hot lunch may seem like a simple gesture of gratitude, but it can come freighted with meaning as well as flavor. When Laura Bartow-Virgil and her husband Steven opened their food truck—Nelson’s Port-A-Pit of SWFL—in August, they knew they wanted to incorporate some sort of philanthropy. When deciding on a group to serve, Laura thought back to when her grandma was in the hospital.

She says the care she received from the nurses brought immense comfort to her family during a difficult time, with the staff making every effort to make Laura’s grandmother feel at home. She was so touched that she says it made deciding which group to give back to very easy.

“I don’t know if I can even like truly thank them enough,” Laura Bartow-Virgil said. “They put so much at risk just to help people, when… they’re doing this, you know, this is their actual career and they chose this. So, I mean, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart and it definitely doesn’t go by us.”

The Bartow-Virgils say they feel lucky to be able to help the health care workers in some small way. The Lee Health staff say being able to come outside, get some fresh air and have a great meal means the world to them.

“I can tell you it’s been pretty tough,” said Julia Liebscher, chief nurse executive at Lee Memorial Hospital. “The team… they’re so strong, so resilient. And, you know, they support one another, we all support one another. Just outstanding. Just… they’re just so grateful for all of the help that everyone has given us. And this meal has just topped it off. That tells us that they appreciate the work that we’re doing each and every day.”

Laura and Steven Bartow-Virgil were present at the hospital all day Thursday and will stay until 9 p.m. Friday night to ensure every shift is fed. While it’s certainly not the easiest task, barbecuing all day in the hot Florida sun, Laura says it’s nothing compared to what these health care heroes are doing.