Saluda company donates thousands of instant noodles to Augusta University Medical Center

One by one boxes containing dozens of instant ramen noodles from Palmetto Gourmet Foods were unloaded as part of a donation to help feed healthcare workers at AU Medical Center.

“ We are pleased to be here partnering with the community and we just want to let everyone know we care and anything we can do to support the community, we are here to reach out,” said Roy Wills, human resources director for Saluda, S.C.-based Palmetto Gourmet Foods.

Wills said the idea came as they were brainstorming how to show support and help healthcare workers fighting on the front lines against the coronavirus. In total, over 100 boxes containing 12 cups each were donated Thursday, for a total of over 1,000 meals.

The ramen noodles donated are a new product by Palmetto that hasn’t been released on the market yet. This is not the first hospital donation by the company, but it is the first in Augusta.

“I’m a local Augusta person and it made me feel good to be able to give back to our community here in Augusta because they do so much for the community as a whole,” Willis said. “Even with the coronavirus, (healthcare workers) are here non-stop.”

Vanessa White, AU program manager of volunteer services and community engagement, said the support the community has shown since the pandemic began means a lot to them and healthcare workers. White said many corporate organizations, local companies and churches have reached out asking how they can help.

“(Palmetto Gourmet Foods) said they would be able to donate some boxes, but to see how many and the number of people we’ll be able to share this with means a lot, especially those that are in the background, our facilities, our environmental services, those that keep things moving in the background that you don’t see. This will mean a lot to them,” White said. “For them to offer anything that they have, it means a lot to us.”

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White said it’s particularly meaningful with National Hospital Week falling right as they continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

“For National Hospital Week to fall during this pandemic means a lot because we are able to identify the true heroes, our healthcare heroes, the ones that don’t get to stay at home and shelter themselves,” she said. “Our teams have been working hours, weeks putting their families in potential danger.”

Wills said they are planning to reach out to University Hospital and the Burn Center about possibly donating ramen noodles to them as well.

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