Man organizes gift card donations to long-term care facilities

After a long day of work, Crystal Lake’s Walter Moist, a dietary manager at a long-term care facility, needs a little time to himself.

“Sometimes I’ll sit in my car for a half hour, just breathing, before I go into the house,” Moist said. “Just to decompress.”

Moist has seen firsthand how the COVID-19 global pandemic has affected nursing homes, its employees and residents.

A simple trip to the grocery store can be problematic.

“We have 200 residents, and I’m terrified that if I’m grabbing toilet paper from Walmart and something happens, and I’m asymptomatic, I’ve got 200 people I’ve got to take care of,” Moist said. “I don’t want to be that guy.”

To give front-line workers a bit of a break and provide additional relief to the local economy, Moist launched a fundraiser aimed at delivering gift cards and certificates to essential workers from restaurants and small businesses.

“Sometimes, you just want a sandwich,” Moist said.

He started by using some of his government stimulus check.

Moist and his son, Sullivan Lancaster, delivered $1,000 worth of gift cards from Cafe Olympic and Breaking Bread last week to The Fountains at Crystal Lake. Moist has a goal of raising $6,000 by May 22, and donations can be made to the fundraiser's GoFundMe page named, "Hospitality Helpcare," at www.gofundme.com/f/hospitality-helpcare.

Eby Graphics in Crystal Lake also has donated $300, Moist said.

As stated on the GoFundMe page, “For every $1,000, 100 gift certificates will be donated to a local nursing home or care facility for the staff and front-line workers, to have a hot meal and recuperate from the unique and daily stresses they are encountering, while at the same time providing much-needed revenue to local establishments. $1,000 offers an immediate infusion of cash, enough to pay a full-time employee for over a week, or cover the bill on the next delivery.”

Moist said he got the idea for a gift card fundraiser because, sometimes, food delivered to a long-term care facility can go quickly. Other times, the food can spoil or workers are too busy at the time of delivery to enjoy the meal.

“As a front-line staff member, it’s great when Chipotle drops off 50 burritos, but half of us are on the floor, the kitchen staff is serving lunch, the housekeeping staff is doing their job, so it gets cold,” Moist said. “Sometimes, it’s like a pack of hyenas on a wildebeest.”

Moist met Patty Mills, the human resource director at The Fountains at Crystal Lake, when making his first delivery. “We just chatted and we both kind of cried a little bit,” he said. “They’re so incredible busy over there.”

Mills was thankful for the support.

“It’s wonderful to see such an outpouring of support from the community,” Mills said. “It’s easy for staff and residents to feel like they’re on an island. This reinforces that the community has not forgotten about them.”

Moist, a chef of 16 years, wants to reach as many people as possible with his fundraiser.

“My goal is to continue to help out these industries that have affected my life as long as I can,” Moist said. “Both of these industries help us in our time of need. As long as I can keep helping in some way, I’m going to keep doing it.”