Adding money to applause, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation said it will give $8.1 million in bonuses to 5,000 medical and hospital staff in Greece who have been on the front lines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greece has drawn praise for the way it has handled the crisis, from an early lockdown to doctors, nurses and health care workers tirelessly doing their jobs to protect public health, further rewarded by SNF.

This is part of a $31 million first round of grants to reach areas hardest hit by the coronavirus. Greece will be the recipient of $11.9 million of these grants.

“Under the current circumstances, the Foundation is taking the extraordinary step of providing $8.1 million in support directly to the most critical element of the country’s health system: individual hospital staff. An SNF gesture of appreciation to be shared equally among nearly 5,000 frontline nurses, doctors, and cleaning personnel working in ICUs at COVID-19 clinics will acknowledge the altruistic efforts of these heroes on the front line of efforts against the pandemic in Greece who risk their lives to save others,” the Foundation said in a press release.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) also provided $3.8 million for access to food and mental health support in Greece, in collaboration with the Central Union of Greek Municipalities (KEDE.)

Through the program Boroume (We Can), SNF will implement “a transparent voucher system in coordination with Greek municipalities to provide impacted families with food in the middle term of the crisis, from September to December 2020.”

In collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Health, SNF will fund psychological support for those affected by the pandemic in that way.