Free lunch for nurses during Nurse Appreciation Week

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-You may not truly appreciate a nurse… until you need one. An experience many of us understand today.

“I mean you look at what we’ve gone through the past couple years, it’s evident the importance that they have,” said Green River Scrubs owner Tanjie Stivers.

And their importance is being highlighted during Nurses Appreciation Week. 

“I think sometimes we get lost in translation a little bit. We’re behind the scenes doing a lot of things like that so just to know that we’re not forgotten and that we’re supported,” said Graves Gilbert Nurse Practitioner Jayme Davies-Waddell. 

Now two years in a row, Independence Bank and Green River Scrubs teamed up to give nurses a free hot meal and to celebrate healthcare heroes. 

“We have had hugs, and they’re just so thankful,” said Stivers. 

The past couple of years have hit nurses hard…the pandemic causing mental and emotional stress, understaffing issues, and long hours. 

“It’s been hard but it’s also been rewarding. I think it’s a reminder of why I and we went into this field and that people need us and even though the last two years required a lot out of us, we are still important and we’ll always be needed and we’re always loved and appreciated,” said Davies-Waddell. 

And although this meal is a small gesture of appreciation, it’s their continued sacrifice that we will never forget.

“You go into an office to get something done, a procedure or whatever, you don’t see that everyday they’re dealing with some hard situations and they do it with such grace and class,” said Stivers.