In the swarm and chaos of COVID-19, the community of Cochrane is proving that unity conquers all.
A couple of businesses around Cochrane along with community builder Dan Kroffat have come together in efforts to help the most vulnerable in dire times.
TWO Pharmacy and Cochrane Toyota have jumped on board Kroffat's grassroots initiative to alleviate some of the fear individuals may be experiencing during this uncertain time.
"Let's not dwell on the problem, lets move toward a solution and the quicker we move toward a solution, the less relevant becomes the problem," said Dan Kroffat. "The example we set in Cochrane may set a storm of interest in other communities."
Since TWO Pharmacy opened its doors in 1989, they have always gone above and beyond to help their clients by offering a delivery service. In the midst of it all they are making sure people are aware of what they offer so that they can lend a helping hand to those who may need it.
"We are trying to play an active positive role in the situation that we are all dealing with," explains Reid Kimmett, operations manager of TWO Pharmacy. "We've always done it for people who have mobility issues or who struggle to get to the store on a regular basis, but the amount of people that are now in that situation is so much higher because people are constrained to their homes for 14 days."
There is no delivery charge for the service and individuals can refill/fill prescriptions and add other items the pharmacy carries to their order. A credit card is collected before the driver leaves and to prevent any spread of germs or illness the item(s) are left on the doorstep. No touch, no contact.
Cochrane Toyota has also come to the rescue of those who may be having trouble getting their hands on one essential item - toilet paper. They have placed an order for the high in demand stuff through their supplier and will be distributing it to those who genuinely need it.
"We've got the drive by's or bring it to," explains Kelly Baum, marketing director at Cochrane Toyota. "We've kept a list of people so far and how many they need. We're not going to do a Tacoma load down to them but probably like two or three rolls to get them through."
Helping Hands Society of Cochrane and Area didn't miss the opportunity to come to the aid of Cochranites. They will be issuing their services through their volunteer driver program making sure all deliveries around town are being met.
By implementing constant endeavours in both good times and bad, Kroffat shows that as a community we can prevail.
"If Dan has a good idea he's going to jump on it and go, and we've worked well with him in the past and it just seemed like a good reason to get on board with him. If we're going to be a little slower here during this time we might as well see if we can help out in any way," explains Baum.
While COVID-19 has instilled a sense of distress in many people, the importance of supporting one another is crucial.
"That's the light at the end of the tunnel that we all need to see is that this is going to be bad, it's going to be difficult for all of us but if we are all there for each other and support each other through it, at the end that's going to be something that we're going to be able to look back positively on," said Kimmett.
Kroffat has approached other organizations in town and is hopeful he will get more contributions that will ultimately help the town on a larger scale.
"We have organizations who immediately jumped to the front, setting an example for the rest of the community. If we all come together on this, then we can address this as a community because united we are strong," said Kroffat.
Perhaps by engaging to find light in dark times, the non-stop news on coronavirus can be overshadowed by some positivity.
