CIU “caters” to Columbia health care workers
Health care workers display their CIU food basket outside Providence Health (Source: Twitter)
By Bob Holmes
Taylor Morrison caters a lot of events over the course of a school year at Columbia International University. But he calls a recent special catering assignment, “awesome.”
Morrison oversees catering and special events for Hallmark Management Services Inc., the company that provides food services for CIU. He usually finds himself preparing delicious working lunches for CIU administrators or long tables of goodies at student events. But in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he was asked on behalf of CIU and President Dr. Mark Smith, to deliver four large baskets of food to the major hospitals serving the Columbia area, as a gift to the health care workers on the front lines of fighting the virus.
“Seeing the health care workers masked up and in their gowns — you could see it in their eyes that a lot of them were tired,” Morrison said. “A lot of them were run down. It was nice to see them perk up a little bit. It was really awesome to be able to do it.”
Morrison said each basket was packed with about 300 items from snack foods to fruit, and included a note from President Smith and the “CIU Team” that read:
“Thank you for caring for our community. We love you all and pray for your protection and health.”
Morrison says it “super humbling” to encourage the health care workers.
“I told my wife that night I was really glad I got to do that because that was definitely the highlight of my week.”
Meanwhile, the hospitals thanked CIU with notes to the administration and over social media.
“What a thoughtful way to show your appreciation! Thank you so much!” tweeted Providence Health.
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