Firefighters Shop Groceries for Seniors and At-Risk People Amid the CCP Virus Crisis

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One fire department in California is doing its part in the CCP virus pandemic by shopping for people who have to stay at home, such as seniors and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Glendale Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas made a public video announcement via Twitter that volunteer firefighters were on call to shop for “food, medications, or other special needs” for people who are homebound due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

The fire department’s generous idea came after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on March 15, 2020, the home isolation of seniors age 65 and older and those at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19.

Lanzas approached his team with the request on March 17, 2020, reported Glendale News-Press.

“I put out a memo [Tuesday] night to the organization asking for volunteers who would be interested and, frankly, I’ve been overwhelmed by the response,” he told the outlet.

Since then, calls from the public, which the firefighters field Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., have been pouring in, and the fire department even issued the announcement in Armenian and Spanish to help reach the city’s major ethnic communities.

To make the service as affordable as possible, the volunteer shifts are being organized by the Glendale Firefighters Association, and delivery costs are covered by the Glendale Fire Foundation, the outlet reported.

However, Lanzas said that the initiative is not just a charitable enterprise, “It’s an out-of-the-box idea but we feel that, with this population, we want to encourage them to stay at home so that we can flatten the curve of this disease and this is just helping to do our part.”

Firefighter Spencer Hammond, who has also been participating in the initiative, said the department is always looking forward to serve people. “I think it’s just in our nature as a fire department,” he said, “we’re always looking to help people and solve a problem.”

One senior couple, Jim Rohrig and Nicole, who used the service and had their groceries dropped off by Hammond, were very grateful. Rohrig’s wife, 75, is a stroke victim who needs full-time care, according to Glendale News-Press.

“The neighborhood is just coming together and sharing, seeing who needs what. It’s good to see,” Rohrig said, noting that neighbors were also checking in with each other.

Glendale, like many other cities in the United States and Europe, is trying to make sure seniors have protected access to stores that were rocked by panic buying during the first weeks of the crisis. The city administration has worked with local grocery stores including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Ralphs to either set aside specific shopping hours for seniors only or else to bring them to the front of the line.

During such trying times, it is indeed humbling to see people stepping in to help each other and lend a compassionate hand to anyone in need.