SALEM — Michael Quintana has delivered Thanksgiving turkeys to families and school supplies to children, so when he heard medical workers on the coronavirus front line crave refreshing beverages, he swung into action.
The Lynn resident and fitness trainer brought 80 herbal teas and health shakes to Salem Hospital on Thursday, delivering them to grateful employees at the North Shore Medical Center facility.
“Michael is just one of over 100 people that have given so generously to our organization. We’ve been amazed and inspired by the generosity of the community around us,” said Kate Bailey, a Development Officer at North Shore Medical Center who is managing food donation inquiries and deliveries. “In these times of uncertainty, we are reminded that we will get through this together.”
A Lynn native, Quintana reconfigured his fitness business to online instruction when coronavirus hit. Friends working in medicine suggested that the nutritious shakes and teas he recommends to fitness clients would be well received by hospital workers logging long shifts helping coronavirus patients.
Quintana said the request fit right into the life philosophy he has worked to follow ever since his childhood when coaches and “people I didn’t even know” helped his large family move from home to home.
“I had the mindset if I could give back, I would. I want the community to understand they have resources,” he said.
His charitable track record has brought that mindset to life with Quintana launching a Thanksgiving turkey delivery to Lynn families six years ago. He has sustained the annual food donation even as he launched a drive to collect and give school supplies to children whose families need help stocking up for the academic year.
“The feeling you get giving back is incredible,” he said.
