SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento River Cats are stepping up to the plate and offering their support for our local health care workers.
The Triple-A affiliate for the San Francisco Giants teamed up with Atlas Disposal to deliver 1,500 care packages to nurses and employees at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.
River Cats General Manager Chip Maxson said it took hours of teamwork to fill all the goodie bags with healthy snacks, juice boxes and toilet paper.
"And what baseball team wouldn't put Cracker Jacks in there?" Maxson said. "Despite the masks there's been lots of smiles. We can tell that everyone's so excited to be out here. Everyone's so appreciative of what these Sutter Health employees are doing day in and day out."
Hundreds of Sutter Health employees waited in line to receive one of 1,500 care packages and take pictures with the River Cats mascot, Dinger.
As Sutter Medical Center CEO Dave Cheney explained, community outreach events like this bring a sense of optimism to his staff during this unimaginably stressful time.
"You've got about a thousand employees that are very, very happy not only to get the goodie bags but, more importantly, to be recognized for the heroes that they are," Cheney said. "The staff have been talking about this event for quite some time. They were so excited and couldn't wait to get down here. They were down half an hour early just waiting for their opportunity to to get their bag and, again, to be recognized. That's what's important."
Cheney said every moment outside of the building and every demonstration of gratitude is appreciated for his staff as they continue working tirelessly to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
During this delivery, Cheney and his staff witnessed another incredible show of appreciation for first responders and health care workers: fighter jets soaring over Sacramento as part of a salute that spanned California.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can e-mail Lina at LWashington@abc10.com.
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