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Helping healthcare heroes on #GivingTuesdayNow

Global day of giving inspires WNY to help healthcare workers on the front lines.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — On this Giving Tuesday Now, the Western New York community is finding creative ways to keep giving back to healthcare workers on the front lines.

Eighteen local fitness studios are delivering tote bags to local hospitals this week. They say thank you to nurses, social workers, cleaning staff and more with the gift of a good sweat. 

Each bag includes a card for a free class at every participating studio, to use once gyms are able to re-open. The studio owners say they hope that the fitness classes can be an outlet for stress relief and self-care for the workers once the pandemic is over.

For people looking for a way to give back directly to healthcare workers, the Kaleida Health COVID-19 Response Fund does just that. Since it launched in mid-march, it has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for PPE, meals and tele-medicine equipment for doctors and nurses.

"We've been raising money for telemedicine, and that's something that we've been looking at very closely over the past couple of years," Kaleida Health Foundation Vice President Caral Horton told 2 On Your Side. "With the COVID crisis, we've realized just how great the need for telemedicine is. We've always known that it's about giving folks that don't normally have access to healthcare providers that kind of access, but now with the whole COVID crisis it's also about keeping everyone safe and not run the risk of infecting each other. "

Horton says in the 20 year history of the foundation, the need for donations has never been greater. If you would like to learn more make a donation, you can do so by clicking here

The Salvation Army is also participating in Giving Tuesday Now. The organization is calling on anybody who can help to do so by donating any amount of money they can. Donations can be made here. The Salvation Army is also seeking virtual volunteers to help fundraising efforts in the Western New York area. Find out more about that here

RELATED: Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen continues to give back during COVID-19 pandemic

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RELATED: Virtual workouts keeping Buffalo's fitness community together

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