A nightly tribute for those on the front lines
Molly Berberich started a new tradition in her Willow Bend community, to honor essential workers. Berberich and her family have been clapping every night at 7 p.m., at the corner of Willow Bend Parkway, in Lutz. The family has a daughter currently working as a nurse in New York City, so the cause is close to their hearts. Abiding by social distancing, a group of neighbors come out each night, too, to pay tribute to those serving on the frontlines. Other community members are encouraged to join, from a safe distance or from their own driveway.
Reenactment echoes these trying times
Donna Banuelos, a clinical nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz, recreates the iconic Rosie the Riveter image (inset) from World War II. Rosie the Riveter represented the U.S. coming together during the war in the 1940s and the ‘can-do’ effort put forth by all citizens. Banuelos’ reenactment resonates today as the fight against COVID-19 continues.
Essential workers get essential meals
Select AdventHealth hospitals are providing take-home meals and groceries for team members to help make sure they get what they need after working long shifts. At AdventHealth Tampa and AdventHealth North Pinellas, team members can select their meals at the beginning of their shifts and pick up the pre-prepared meals when they leave for the day. A couple of the hospitals are offering onsite groceries, too, for those team members who aren’t able to make it to the store.
Looking out for community employees
The motormen, bus operators and paratransit operators of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) are essential employees who provide a critical services to the community, like medical personnel, first responders, pharmacists and grocery store employees. HART recently received a ‘thank you,’ when 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg donated a 10-gallon supply of its hand sanitizer for all HART’s operators. The brewing company began bottling hand sanitizer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Providing a necessary precaution
Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club have been busy for the past month sewing face masks for area hospitals and Lab Corp. The masks also were provided to all of the club’s 100-plus members, and husbands. Under the circumstances, the undertaking took a lot of coordination to make home deliveries of the pattern and material packets to the ladies, so they could work ‘at a safe distance.’ KarenSue Molis was one of the members sewing masks.
