Hospital staff thanked with oyster giveaway

Shellfish group and farmers provide 5,000 oysters for nurses, doctors, staff.

By
Brian Dowd
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Pam Harwood, right, receives a bag of 24 oysters from Jeremy Scheffer, left. — Brian Dowd

In classic Martha’s Vineyard style, a group of oyster farmers and the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group organized an oyster giveaway for Martha’s Vineyard Hospital employees Friday afternoon to give thanks for the hospital’s workers during the pandemic.

5,000 oysters were provided by Jeremy Scheffer of Spearpoint Oysters, Ryan Smith of Signature Oyster Farm, Roy Scheffer of Roysters, Scott Castro of Blue Moon Oysters, and Noah Scheffer of Little Minnow Oyster Co. all donated oysters for the hospital employees. Each employee got a bag of 24. 

Each bag of oysters came with cards designed by MV Oyster Fest founder Nevette Previd for a baked oyster recipe, a QR code to a “How to Shuck” video, names of the farmers, and other shellfish-related links.

Jeremy Scheffer said the giveaway was a way local oyster farmers could say thanks.

“The inspiration is they’re doing what they can and I figured it was a nice gesture,” Jeremy Scheffer said. 

Katie Friedman, a nurse practitioner who has worked at the hospital for 14 years, said the oyster giveaway shows the generosity of the Island community.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Friedman. “What an amazing place we live in. It’s freezing cold, icy, Christmas, and they think of this.”

Emma Green Beach, executive director of the Shellfish Group, said every hospital employee who wanted a bag got one. At the end of the giveaway only one man who came late didn’t get a bag, but Green Beach took his number and said they would try to provide him with one.

It’s been a good week for Martha’s Vineyard hospital employees. On Thursday, the hospital began administering COVID-19 vaccine doses to its frontline workers.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you to all of the Oyster Farmers for this wonderful gift! They were delicious!
    Incredibly generous of all of you!
    I was also happy to get my friend Scott Castro’s oysters from Blue Moon Oysters.

  3. What an enjoyable THANK YOU it must have been. Congrats to all who donated and especially to the one who thought it up.

  4. Jeremy Scheffer, Ryan Smith, Roy Scheffer, Scott Castro and Noah Scheffer remind us of the goodness and warmth of giving. We should all strive to emulate this holiday season. Thank you.

    Peter Cabana

Comments are closed.