Mandatory Good News: Alaskan Man Travels 7 Hours to Get Groceries For His Neighbors

When the COVID-19 crisis began and many of us decided to quarantine in our homes, the first question on our minds was how exactly we were going to continue to get groceries? Well, if you live in or around a city, you can probably find a grocery delivery service. You don’t have to enter a store and you don’t even have to come in contact with the person dropping off your bread, toilet paper, and Pop-Tarts. But, what if you live literally in the middle of nowhere with no nearby grocery stores willing to deliver to you? Well, if you live in the isolated Alaska town of Gustavus, you count on Toshua Parker.

That’s because this town is so remote that in order for residents to get the supplies they need anytime (let alone in the middle of a pandemic), they count on Parker to take his 96-foot ship through the frigid waters on a seven-hour round trip to Juneau to shop at Costco. But he’s not just buying a few rolls of paper towels and a tub of macaroni and cheese. He buys around $20,000 worth of meat, canned goods, eggs, and pretty much anything this town of 446 residents might need. He takes this journey to stock his store the town has dubbed “Toshco” because otherwise, they’d have no other way to get groceries and supplies.

He’s been taking this journey for almost a decade and never has it been more important than it is right now. These are the kinds of people working tirelessly to make the world a slightly better place. We can definitely use more Toshua Parkers these days.

Photo: dardespot (Getty Images)

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