This is Part I of a two-part series highlighting the amazing volunteers who continue to help fill orders and deliver groceries at Mr. D’s during COVID-19. Here, Bonnie Motherway – an owner at Mr. D’s – talks about just how valuable the volunteers are to the store and to the community as a whole.
COVID hit the grocery industry with a sledge hammer. The challenges were extreme and changed daily. Many people were faced with the dilemma of how to get essential groceries and stay safe.
Lander is such an amazing town! At exactly that time when we had a need for a special service, a group of people organized to see that need was met.
While we at the store level were trying to figure out how to actually get product and keep both our employees and customers safe, the increased requests for a delivery service seemed like it would be an impossible task. The day to day work of getting groceries on the shelf and in the customer’s carts had become exponentially harder. The Mr. D’s staff was working as hard as possible just to stay afloat.
That’s when Carol Smith walked in the door with a flyer from #LanderTogether and asked to help. We at Mr. D’s all took a minute to say, “Hallelujah!” The response to her and her team was overwhelming. Orders poured in. A special phone line was dedicated to take orders and a form was created to streamline the shopping. The orders continue to be delivered to people’s doorsteps with no person to person contact and the relief that many feel knowing they can get what they want safely is indescribable.
While many were unable to come and shop, the volunteers came out and placed themselves in possible danger to help others. Even with the precautions taken to keep everyone safe: barriers, masks, gloves, sanitization, temperature checks, and distancing guidelines, coming to a busy store has risks.
The volunteers who came 5 days a week and spent hours at the grocery store filling a list are amazing. They were and still are willing to give their time and energy to help people they don’t know. Do you know how hard it is to shop from a list from a stranger, especially at a time when the supply chain is broken? At times, 70% of the products ordered at Mr. D’s did not come in. Products were limited and some really strange stuff was showing up on the shelves. Toilet paper could always be found, but often it was an unrecognizable brand, or one huge roll that was intended to go in a commercial TP dispenser but had been bagged up by the bakery staff, or single rolls that would normally be found in a motel room. Every possible supply source was tapped into so that there would be something for the customers. Restaurants and schools were closed, so suppliers who usually sold to those venues were now contacted and brought their products to the store. This meant we almost always had some choice, even if it was flour or sugar that normally went to restaurant kitchens. Explaining the limited options to someone who was not able to get out and didn’t know that Northern toilet paper or Campbell’s soup did not exist right now was time consuming. But, all the volunteers were tireless and patient so that every customer was able to get essential products.
I don’t think anyone who volunteered had any idea that what started as 2 week suggested quarantine would turn into a 7 month and still counting ordeal. As time went on, several members of the volunteer team actually joined the Mr. D’s family. Shopping and delivery now happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the eventual goal being manageable on Thursdays only.
It is such a blessing to belong to a community that helps each other in such real and practical ways. Thank yous are inadequate for those who have continued to invest time and energy to help those who needed it without expecting anything in response.
#LanderTogether-CommunityStrong has set an example of selfless service that we should all try to emulate and appreciate.