[Update: The initial round of lunches from NaanStop has since inspired a series of more than 20 lunch donations for the Neuro ICU team, courtesy of the Duke Neurology Department.]
Duke University Hospital’s Neuro Intensive Care Unit received a welcome surprise this Friday--35 box lunches of northern Indian cuisine, donated courtesy of NaanStop, a nearby Indian restaurant.
“We feel like our restaurant is part of Duke, and we wanted to help, even if only in a small way,” said NaanStop owner Baljeet Singh, whose restaurant on Erwin Road sits below several Duke offices and is two blocks away from Duke University Hospital.
The boxes of chicken tikki masala, lentils, rice, and naan bread were a relief to the Neuro ICU team, who are on the frontlines of Duke University Hospital’s response to the current COVID-19 pandemic as well as preparing for the projected surge of new cases over the next few weeks.
“This is a wonderful gesture for our neuro ICU team, not just the neurologists, but our nurses, nursing assistants, people working in environmental services, and others,” said Daniel Laskowitz, MD, MHS, interim Division Chief for Neurocritical Care at the Duke Neurology Department. “These lunches really bring a sense of relief and an opportunity for the staff and faculty to take a break and enjoy a few moments in a very stressful environment.”
In addition to Singh, the lunches were organized by Mandheer Wadhwa, MS, lab manager for the Duke Center for Neurodegeneration and Neurotherapeutics, and JT Solomon, MBA, CPA, chief department administrator for the Duke Neurology Department.