SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Sanford Health in Sioux Falls is saying a small thank you to its staff with a cart full of goodies.

The Gratitude Cart is making its rounds at Sanford Health.

“What can we do to keep our spirits up, to have that camaraderie,” Critical Care Unit Inpatient Nursing Director Kristina Hofer said.

Kristina Hofer had a hand in starting the cart as a way to share the recognition front line workers received during the height of the pandemic.

“We got a lot of gratitude and a lot of support and we know not all of our units in the hospital were able to get those as well, so we wanted to share that and pass that on,” Hofer said.

24 units have had possession of the cart since August, including Valet Services where they’ve parked more than 270,000 cars so far this year, as of the end of November.

“Kind of gratifying to be able to be recognized by another team as having a big impact on campus and they see our existence and appreciate what we do,” Valet Services Manager Vince Green said.

The cart spends about two weeks at each unit and is stocked with everything from Animal Crackers to Play-Doh.

“Anything candy is their favorite,” Green said.

“We love candy, we’ve had hand sanitizer, hair ties, Play-Doh, Silly Putty, Slinkies, you name it we’ve had it on the cart,” Hofer said.

Valet Services will stock the cart for its next stop and complete a page in a book.

“In that, they tell a little bit about their unit, what they do, what kind of patients they take care of, some fun facts about their unit and then also why they’re choosing the next unit for them to pass it onto,” Hofer said.

Helping spread some holiday cheer all year long.

“COVID isn’t going away so we want to keep our spirits up so that we can still provide that great, excellent care that our families and our patients need and deserve,” Hofer said.

Hofer says the goal is to share the cart throughout the entire facility. Valet Services will send the Gratitude Cart to Guest Services after Christmas.