Celebrity News April 09, 2020
Exclusive: How 'Shark Tank's' Lori Greiner Is Helping Medical Staff on the Frontlines of COVID-19
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America's brave doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers have a new angel of mercy behind them: “Shark Tank” entrepreneur and inventor Lori Greiner, who has launched an incredible new mission to help the medical teams fighting COVID-19.
Lori shared her passion project exclusively with “Extra,” talking to Billy Bush about her efforts to bring comfort by sending them delicious meals and by personally calling and FaceTiming with them.
Greiner is sending food, like pasta and homemade chocolate chips cookies, to New York City hospitals including Elmhurst, Harlem Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell, NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia, Mount Sinai, and NYU Langone.
Billy asked Greiner, “What a wonderful thing you're doing, and I'm seeing all these videos and these incredibly happy medical workers. What got you to do this?”
Lori explained, “I started hearing from doctors and nurses on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: 'We're drowning, this is really getting tough,' and so I decided, 'Well, you know, they're working 12-, 14-hour days, they barely get time to sit down or eat, why don't we send them some great comfort food…?' And then the real thing that I found very impactful and touching as well was if I would FaceTime with them and put a personal touch to it, it would give them just a little bit of a light in their day.”
She continued, “I just wanted them to know that all across the country we're seeing them, we're hearing their plight. We know what they're doing and that they're unbelievable heroes and how much we appreciate them.”
Billy said, “You've received a lot of reactions from different people… what's one of the most memorable ones?
Lori said, “One woman named Jennifer, who is at Harlem Hospital, who's working the night shift, she said, 'You know, I had to send my kids to my mom's because I don't want to get them infected.'” Greiner added, “So, it's not only hard work and stressful and you're afraid for your life, but you're also very isolated when you're one of these first responders, too.”
Billy also asked the famous entrepreneur how people can help expand on the great work she's already doing,
Lori revealed that she is already speaking with an array of celebrities to join the mission, “I have some plans in place to start expanding it out here in California… Chicago, New Orleans… You wanna join?! DM me — we're going to start a movement and we're going help these first responders.”
