By Kim Bobo, Executive Director, VICPP —
It all started with one grocery store. Doris Crouse-Mays, President of the Virginia AFL-CIO, emailed VICPP about grocery store workers in Mechanicsville who needed masks. We reached out to people nearby and they respond with masks. Within the next few days, we got lists from the UFCW Representative of stores around Richmond, Tidewater and Northern Virginia where more workers needed masks.
Again – people like Eva Thorpe responded quickly and generously when an urgent request for masks came in from the Safeway store on Old Keene Mill Road in Burke, VA. Eva helped to organize members of Burke Presbyterian Church who sewed 55 masks. Eva and Jim Weaver delivered the masks to Alton Simmons (L) and Terrell King (R) (in the photo above).
Then we heard from people in Richmond shelters that both the residents and many volunteers needed masks. Again, we got the word out and people responded quickly and generously.
Although we all recognize that in the richest nation in the world, we shouldn’t have to be sewing masks and delivering them to front-line workers or shelter residents. But we do. And it is one of the small ways we can show grocery workers and shelter residents that they are loved and appreciated.
If you haven’t received an email from VICPP about nearby stores or shelters needing masks or other supplies, please go ahead and talk with grocery store workers and nearby shelters about what they might need. Support them if you can. Show love and appreciation in any way you can. And please let Jase Hatcher know if you make the donation.
VICPP is still a public policy advocacy organization. We will advocate with and for these frontline workers. But mercy, love, and justice go hand in hand. We advocate for an increase in the minimum wage and paid sick days. But, in times of crisis, sometimes masks are how we show love.