doing with Frontline Foods.

Let's talk about this amazing organization

that you work with.

I mean, we're just part of-- there's over 600 volunteers now

with Frontline Foods.

And it is just--

we were doing it kind of grassroots with Octavia Spencer

and Joel McHale and other people here.

But then all of a sudden we realized

Frontline Foods was doing it all across the country.

It's 100%-- donations go right to-- and it's a win-win,

two-fold thing.

The donations go to restaurants to try

keep their lights on, try to keep their staffs

coming home with a paycheck.

And then they feed the ER rooms and the janitors

and everyone that's on the frontline.

Because it really is, it's incredible

what these nurses and doctors are doing right now

and how hard they're working and how long they're working.

And then to be able to help the restaurants

and-- it's fantastic.

And we're going to talk to Sydney,

who is the nurse that started this whole thing,

a little later in the show.

All right, we are back with Melissa and Ben.

You told us about this incredible organization

you've been working with called Frontline Foods.

And I really wanted to meet this nurse who

started the whole thing.

So from San Francisco, California,

please welcome Sydney Gressel.

Oh, my God, you guys.

Hi.

Hi, Sydney.

Hi.

So I am so happy to meet you and to be able to say to a nurse,

thank you so much for everything you're doing.

You're a pediatric emergency nurse.

And I cannot even imagine how exhausted you must be and how

exhausted all of you must be-- the hours that you're working.

So thank you, thank you, thank you for what you're doing.

And thanks for creating Frontline Foods.

Tell everybody how you had this idea.

How did you start this?

Well, I just want to thank you all first, because this is such

an incredible honor to be here.

Ellen, being on your show is a dream

that I have had for years.

And Melissa and Ben, this is our second Zoom call this week.

I'm so touched by your involvement with our project.

And I just really can't thank you guys enough for giving us

this platform and this opportunity

to talk about the work we're doing with Frontline Foods.

So, thank you, seriously.

So in mid-March I was texting with a friend of mine

named Frank, and he asked me, how can I help?

And at that time, I think I was doing a 16-hour shift that day.

And our hospital was mounting this big response

to the COVID crisis.

And so I suggested that he could sponsor

a pizza party for our team at the hospital,

as a morale boost.

And then that simple idea has blossomed

into this much bigger thing.

Wow.

Just that-- as simple as you said, well, this is a good idea

and now I start this.

And you've raised, I think they said, $3.7 million?

Yeah.

So how many people have you served so far?

Well, so now Frontline Foods is a national nonprofit.

We are up and running in 46 cities throughout the country.

We have an army of organizers, all volunteers,

including the few here that are on our show.

Melissa and Ben have joined us as organizers as well.

So there's about 600 of us.

And we have served over 160,000 meals in over 250 hospitals

throughout the country.

I believe we've partnered with over 500 restaurants.

And we have many more on-boarding.

So this has just become a huge, huge success so far.

And like I said, we're just getting started.

That's incredible.

That's amazing what-- an idea turns into something that you

must be so proud of yourself that you came up with this

and that it's so successful.

So what can people that are watching

right now-- what can they do?

What do you need?

How can we help?

Well, thank you for asking.

So I guess I would have maybe a two-part answer

to that question.

Part one is check out our website, frontlinefoods.org.

On there you can learn about the good work that we're doing.

And you have the opportunity to donate any amount of money.

It is a tax deductible donation.

$5, $50, $5,000-- whatever you're motivated to contribute.

And you can choose if you want to donate on a local level

to a particular city or if you want to donate nationally.

And our national funds are being distributed

to underserved areas, places that

are getting hit really hard with COVID cases

and have less infrastructure, less resource in place.

So we really want to support some of those communities.

And then part two is I could really use your support.

My colleagues throughout the country

really are just asking that everybody

please be patient and continue with the stay home.

The quarantine is so supportive.

It is literally saving thousands and thousands

of lives in the US right now.

It's very challenging.

I get it.

I've got two little kids at home myself.

And I know this is such a sacrifice that we are making,

but we're doing it for each other.

So if we could just get the message out

to stick with it, to be patient.

It is working, and we just have to stay the course.

Yeah.

I agree with you.

All right, well of course, we want to help.

We weren't just going to have you on and talk to you

and say bye-bye.

Shutterfly is an amazing partner of ours.

And thanks to them, we have been able to help

the health care workers and their communities

around the country.

And today they're going to donate

$25,000 to Frontline Foods.

That's amazing.

That's so great.

Thank you.

You guys--

And thank you, Shutterfly.

Thank you.

Thank you, Shutterfly.

Thank you, Shutterfly.

Thank you, Ellen.

Thank you, Melissa.

Thank you, Ben.

Thank you, Octavia.

Thank you-- wow.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you, Joel.

So many people have come together

to make this a success.

I can't thank you guys enough.

Well, we can't thank you enough.

And hopefully everybody will go to our website to find out

how they can donate as well.

Because even when you say that the hardest hit areas--

it really is.

You think about not just helping the health care workers,

but helping the restaurants in those hardest hit areas.

It really is a win-win for everybody.

So it was a great idea, and it's a great organization.

So go to our website to see how you can help.

Thank you.

We'll be right back.

Thank you so much.