Thom Pastor is our #StokeAHero Channel Islands Happy winner this week!
Thom is the Food Services Manager for St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon, and is leading the Food Service Unit of the Incident Command Team. A critical but often overlooked branch of healthcare, Thom leads a large staff spanning 4 Hospitals whose task is to provide meals for patients, hospital staff, and other caregivers. Throughout this global pandemic, Thom has remained calm while leading and protecting his staff of about 150 people as they provide healthy nourishment for both staff and patients around the clock. Since early March, Thom has worked nearly 7 day weeks preparing his teams and hospital system for possible surges associated with Covid-19 outbreaks. As a husband and father this has meant countless hours away from his family, but, as his many nomination emails explain, Thom has never waivered in his role as one rad dad and husband.
Thom is also a River Surfer! Since moving further inland and away from his favorite spots of Newport Beach and Florence, Oregon, Thom has found a way to fulfill his surf stoke on the river! If he has the energy and time between shifts he can be found Acid Dropping into the standing waves of Bend Whitewater Park. A true leader in all aspects, he’s been known to help newcomers as they learn to drop-in and ride the tricky river waves. Thom is also teaching his favorite grom, daughter Taylor, how to surf the river! We’ve learned that Thom was scheduled to take his first out-of-country surf trip to find warm-water perfection in Mexico which was postponed once the pandemic took hold. A new #ciHappy will definitely be a great board when that trip becomes a reality!
It takes a tremendous effort to keep our communities safe. Thanks to leaders like Thom, our caregivers & those they care for have the nourishment they need to continue to fight through these tough times. We are honored to provide Thom with a new #ciHappy! Join us in thanking and congratulating Thom!
#thesurfstation #stokeahero #healthcareheroes
