As we all know the world has taken a huge turn, while jobs, schools, restaurants, and well basically everything closes and we are ordered to stay home. When we hear “first responders” we normally think of our police department and our firefighters, but this time around our first responders are our nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, truck drivers, etc. Due to this pandemic of COVID-19 we have opened our hearts and eyes to the ones who have taken to the front lines to help us through this worldwide downfall.

While the store hours to go get your groceries and essential things have changed, the employees work the same hours as before, around the clock, getting their temperatures checked before clocking in and being sent home if they are slightly sick. While our essential stores stay open, they are taking great precautions with employees and keeping the store, as well as carts and baskets, clean for every costumer coming in. As the public sees their outstanding work during this time they have taken that extra precaution of helping them out, wearing masks and gloves when going in.

Even Kathy Bauer, a brilliant seamstress, has taken to making some beautiful masks and headbands for not only the grocery store workers, but for out nurses and doctors, as well as pilots, and truck drivers. Our community has come together to help our new first responders in good spirits, while some are making masks, donating food to the hospitals, others, such as AT&T, are paying their phone bills for a couple months.

Nurses and doctors are working countless hours to help keep everyone safe and healthy. They’ve put all of us first and our health their main priority, as always, but this, this is different. Some never go home to see their families, and for that we thank the families as well. For not only having amazing people in their lives, but for giving us the opportunity to fully experience their loyalty and hardworking abilities to our state. As we speak of outstanding people, pilots around the world are still flying. While flights are canceled, our pilots and airport staff are still working, every hour of the day, cleaning planes, flying planes. Cody Tharp, a pilot with Envoy Air lines, a sister company of American Airlines, shares that, “it’s pretty crazy, most of the people in the airports at the moment are the airport employees and flight crews. In the month of May 2020 they are estimating flying 2 million people, that is the amount of people that flew in one day in May of 2019.”

While our world is in a state of craziness, our first responders are amazing, they are brilliant, strong, outstanding, caring people who are will never know how grateful we are for them. They’ve taken to the front line to help everyone living on Earth, they’ve worked tireless hours, helping others, helping all of us. While we may not be able to pay them back: To everyone on the front line, thank you! You have done so much and for that our state, our community and our families will forever be grateful and forever in your debt. Your hard work and selfness acts over these last few months will never be forgotten!