Lower Gwynedd food blogger using Instagram page to help medical workers

LOWER GWYNEDD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Samantha Schwartz, 27, of Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania is harnessing the power of Instagram to help feed medical workers on the front lines. She knows what they are going through treating COVID-19 positive patients because her own father is one of them.

Over the last few weeks, she has been showing up at local hospital emergency rooms with carloads of food--everything from pizza to boxed lunches.

"So, I am doing this full time and every week for the last 3-4 weeks, I've been going to different hospitals and ordering food from different restaurants so it can tie in on my food page," she said.

Prior to the crisis, Samantha was posting to her Instagram page, PHLFoodstagram, an account dedicated to all things food and restaurants related to Philadelphia.

Then, her full-time job came to a halt, and her father, Dr. Howard Schwartz, started treating COVID-19 patients at Temple Hospital's Jeane's campus and at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Dr. Schwartz is an anesthesiologist. He told Action News, "Taking care of COVID-19 patients is a lot more stressful. Our days are completely different."

Now, Samantha uses her Instagram page dedicated to food to feed people like her father.

She raises money, orders from different restaurants, and delivers to hospitals and pharmacies.

Of her Instagram page, Samantha said, "Obviously I see firsthand what doctors are going through during this time, and I figured I do have a following on there of almost 16,000 people and why not put that to good use."

Her father, Dr. Schwartz, added, "It's always a morale builder to, first of all, receive a nice special treat and to think that somebody out there in the community thinking of you. As a father, I am very proud of Samantha, she took this upon herself to again get motivated and to go out of her way to help other people."

Samantha is still taking donations and is thinking of doing even do more of these food deliveries.

It's just one of the many ways so many are using social media to help out in any way they can.

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