Quarantined nurse surprised with Thanksgiving meal

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    BILLINGS, Mont. (Billings Gazette) — Chelsey Barth had planned to go grocery shopping on Saturday. On Friday, she learned her 5-year-old son had tested positive for COVID-19 and the family of four was suddenly facing a minimum two-week quarantine.

“I was not prepared,” Barth said.

The registered nurse working in a COVID-19 unit at Billings Clinic is quarantining while caring for three children who have all tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

She had some food in her fridge, but nothing to make a meal. And certainly nothing to make a Thanksgiving dinner.

On Sunday Barth received a surprise: multiple boxes containing all the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal, a turkey, mashed potatoes, pies, veggies, canned goods and enough groceries to keep the family of four set for a few days after the holiday, too.

“I’m not going to need to go grocery shopping for a while, there was so much food,” Barth said.

The gesture came at a time when Barth needed a break facing quarantine, being out of work and caring for her ill children.

“I work so hard to make sure my kids have the best life possible, but sometimes life throws punches you can’t escape,” Barth said.

Barth has three children, Colton, 11, Emma, 6, and Finn, 5.

Barth was one of two health care workers in Billings who received food boxes after Ashlie Tate, a local photographer, and a few Columbus High School students decided to organize a Thanksgiving food drive to show appreciation to COVID-19 frontline workers.

“I was completely surprised and shocked. When they came yesterday I didn’t answer the door ’cause I didn’t want to expose them. But I saw the insane amount of food I was so humbled and grateful,” Barth said.

Giving back
Tate, 31, along with her husband and her three kids, all tested positive for COVID-19 during October. The virus knocked her out for the entire month.

“It’s not a fun situation to be in, and these people (health care workers) are exposing themselves every day to get our loved ones better,” she said.

After recovery, Tate wanted to give back to the health care workers who have helped care for her friends, family and community, especially considering that cases will continue to climb during the holidays.

“When COVID-19 first started there was a big ‘we have your back’ support for health care workers, and eight months into this that support has really diminished,” Tate said. “That’s not fair for the health care workers.”

COVID-19 cases in Yellowstone County have surged. The county has surpassed more than 5,000 active cases at one time and hospital and intensive care unit beds are growing scarce as more COVID-19 patients are admitted.

Across the state the spike has led to shortages in health care workers, as they fall sick themselves, and an increasing crunch on Montana’s health care system.

Barth has felt the crunch herself. The work is harder, longer and more draining.

“For patients to not be able to have family with them and seeing the disease progress the way it has in some patients is heartbreaking,” she said.

Before getting into photography, Tate worked as a certified nursing assistant for several years and knows the toll it takes to work in health care.

Something as simple as grocery shopping after a 12-hour shift can feel insurmountable, Tate said. The pressure of holiday shopping can compound that.

Health care workers do feel a certain pressure to stay healthy, especially for a fear of bringing home COVID-19 to their family members, Barth said.

“On your days off the last thing you want to do is surround yourself with people or put on a mask and go into public,” Tate said.

Tate put out the call on Facebook, and enlisted a few local businesses to station drop-off boxes for donated groceries.

Enough food was donated for big food boxes to go to two families, including Barth, and the remainder was donated to health care workers at Lasting Legacy Assisted Living, Tate said.

Columbus High senior Kayla Scarbro helped Tate out with the project and decorated a dropoff box that was housed at Bishop’s Cuts/Colors in downtown Billings.

The 17-year-old said giving back felt good.

“It has been really fun. I feel like the more we help out, the bigger difference we make,” Scarbro said.

For Barth, the simple joy of being able to provide a “normal” Thanksgiving dinner for her kids was a huge relief.

“Thanksgiving is a pretty big holiday in my family,” she said. “I want them to feel like everything is normal and okay.”

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