Fistfights in grocery stores over toilet paper and cases of Mountain Dew. Dumb blondes licking toilet seats for a “Coronavirus Challenge.” And, worst of all, wealthy people cutting in line for tests when they don’t even have symptoms. It’s all enough to make you shrug and doubt whether humanity is even worth saving. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the worst of human nature.
On the other hand, the worst times can also bring out the best in people. And no, we’re not talking about looting that douchebag investor’s vacant Airbnb listing next door. While politicians, billionaires, and celebrities hide, regular people are showing true courage. Here are eight inspirational stories of communities coming together to help each other. After all, social solidarity is our most valuable resource, not TP, no matter how velvety soft it may be.
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Cover Photo: Justin Paget (Getty Images)
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8 Inspirational Stories of Communities Coming Together During the Pandemic
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Palabras Bilingual Bookstore Helps Organize Aid in Phoenix
In Phoenix, Arizona, Palabras Bilingual Bookstore has stepped up, acting as a makeshift donation drop-off and distribution center. The store’s co-owner, Chawa Magaña, also set up a Facebook group to help coordinate local response efforts, which now has over 3,500 members, though she modestly says she’s just doing her part.
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A $9,400 tip in Houston
At Irma’s Southwest, a restaurant in Houston, Texas, a loyal patron left a big tip to help the workers, and presumably got some great service. The tip was a whopping $9,400 for a check of only $29.75, meaning each of the 30 employees got $300.
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Impromptu Porch Concert in Ohio
At 78 years young, Helena Schlam of Columbus, Ohio, is at high risk for the coronavirus, and so is wisely posting up in her house. Her 9-year-old and 6-year-old neighbors, Taran and Calliope, put on an impromptu porch concert for their locked-down neighbor, showing there are better ways to help than singing "Imagine" from your mansion.
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Reader Buys Pizza for Hungry Journalists in Seattle
Reporters are risking their own safety to keep the public informed despite pathetically low pay and the psychotic efforts of governments and corporations to cover up the truth. A subscriber to the Seattle Times ordered pizzas for the entire staff of that paper, helping the hungry newshounds stay on the trail.
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Durham Woman Goes Grocery Shopping for the Elderly
Becky Hoeffler, an employee of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is shopping for neighbors who can’t because of their potential vulnerability to the coronavirus. She’s not the only one either, as many others are stepping up to help since the president is more concerned with bailing out his own businesses and Joe Biden is currently hiding in his house.
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Quarantine Musical Number in Italy
Life is almost never like a musical, especially during a global pandemic. As Italy is hammered hard by the coronavirus, the city of Siena started singing from their balconies, windows and porches, refusing to surrender to fear or auto-tune.
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Australian Man Shares Dead Dad’s Massive Toilet Paper Stockpile with Those in Need
In Sydney, Australia, a man named Michael is sharing his deceased father’s giant stash of toilet paper with his community. "Dad [is] looking down right now saying, 'See, I told you so. You are going to need those one day,' and he's absolutely right," Michael told A Current Affair.
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1,000 Doctors and Nurses Come Out of Retirement to Save Lives in the Big Apple
As politicians hide, commit insider trading and make excuses, real heroes are stepping up to save lives even at the risk of their own. Roughly 1,000 nurses and doctors voluntarily came out of retirement in New York to serve on the frontlines of the battle against coronavirus, despite being older and thus more vulnerable.
