For many years, the local rock band StealHead has played the Dirksen Derby, an annual snowboard race at Mt. Bachelor that has raised more than $250,000 for charities and individuals since 2007.

Now, StealHead’s Patrick Mayer has a new cause in mind: recognizing nurses at St. Charles Health System for their hard work and dedication — over the past two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in general. Long-term, he said, he hopes to help narrow the nurse deficit in Central Oregon by raising money to try to address the housing crisis in the region.

“Without nurses in our community,” Mayer said, “our community really doesn’t work too well.”

With this new fundraising focus in mind, StealHead played a show at Walt Reilly’s on Bend’s west side last year and raised about $4,300,

including some donations from businesses.

Since then, Mayer has been looking to spend that money in a way that benefits St. Charles nurses, and he has decided to throw a party Friday night at Worthy Brewing, where nurses who work for the health system can show up, show their St. Charles badge and enjoy a free meal, paid for with the collected funds.

Afterward, the band will work with a food truck to deliver meals to nurses who are working at the hospital and can’t make it to Worthy.

Mayer got the idea last year after attending a Dave Matthews Band concert and contracting COVID-19. His symptoms were pretty serious, he said.

“You know how your iPhone goes to zero? That’s how I felt,” Mayer said. “I was down for two weeks and then never felt normal, really, for three months. It just tore through me and a few of my friends.”

He continued: “It really made me stop and think about all of our nurses and what they’ve gone through over the past couple of years, working in stressful and difficult situations. So we want to try to do something for the nurses to recognize them as a community for all they’ve done and what they continue to do today.”

Besides Mayer on guitar and vocals, StealHead includes Kyle Swantek (bass), Johnny Springer (drums/vocals), Patrick Ondrozeck (keyboards) and, on Friday, a guest guitarist named Mike Fleiss, an old friend and band mate of Mayer’s who also happens to be the creator and producer of the reality TV show “The Bachelor,” among other projects. Together, StealHead plays an eclectic brand of rock ‘n’ roll influenced by artists like Neil Young, The Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones.

In fact, the band will perform a mix of StealHead originals and Dead covers Friday in an effort to give local nurses a chance to unwind, enjoy a free meal and feel the love, Mayer said.

“If you’re a nurse and you’ve been working in these tough times the past couple of years, I say come on down and join the fun,” he said. “It’s going to be your night.”

What: Nurse recognition event with StealHead

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: Worthy Brewing, 495 NE Bellevue Drive, Bend

Cost: Free (nurses show St. Charles badge for free meal)

Contact: 541-639-4776