Let’s toast to businesses supporting essential service workers
Whether it’s providing food to those working on the frontlines, offering up spaces to sleep and stay, or providing essential services, Saskatchewan businesses have been helping healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. To everyone who has made healthcare and frontline workers a priority over these weeks, we TOAST you and thank you for taking care of the people who are making sure all of us stay healthy and well through this crisis.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Saskatoon business A&C Detail and Residential/Commercial Cleaning Ltd. started offering support to healthcare workers by providing free decontamination and sanitation services for their vehicles. A&C Detail is a professional cleaning company that has always made giving back a key piece of their business. Any healthcare worker can book a free cleaning, helping to ensure the health and safety of healthcare professionals and their families.
For healthcare workers who need a place to stay either short-term or long-term, Park Town Hotel in Saskatoon is hosting quarters that are designated specifically for healthcare workers. Even if workers need a place to stay between shifts, Park Town is offering that too. This generous offer is there to assist in making sure workers have a safe and comfortable place to stay while they’re working on the frontlines.
Western RV Country, a Calgary-based business, is helping to make sure healthcare workers are safe if they need to self-isolate from their families during the pandemic. Bruce Urban, the owner of Western RV who is also the owner of the Saskatchewan Rush, is generously donating trailers and RVs to healthcare workers in Calgary in need of a separate living space to keep their families safe. “If there’s ever a time in our lives to reach out and give back and reach out to others in any way we possibly can, now is the time,” Urban says.
Many businesses have donated food and supplies to assist healthcare workers, and Regina’s Western Pizza is no exception. They have been delivering pizzas to healthcare workers, including the COVID-19 assessment centre in Regina and the HealthLine 811 call centre. Owner Spiro Bonis says that with the virus, they’ve had to modify how they normally package and deliver their pizzas. Keeping safety in mind, they’re portioning everything individually to ensure no cross-contamination occurs.
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Regina Custom Closets has also initiated a COVID-19 response, including “Essential Services Sunday,” where each week they pick a different group of frontline workers and deliver coffee with donuts or muffins. They’re purchasing the goodies from local shops to support local coffee shops and cafes, and so far they have sent coffee and treats to the police, EMS, nurses, retirement home caregivers and staff working at shelters.
Truck drivers leave their families and put themselves at risk every day to ensure Canadians receive the daily food and supplies we need. Recognizing and appreciating these “road soldiers,” That Bearded Canuck blog teamed up with Mr. Mikes Grasslands and Lowe’s in Regina to provide free lunches for these truckers making their way through Regina while keeping the supply chain moving.
Just For You Day Spa is also helping to take care of Saskatchewan residents by providing a chance for lucky winners to relax once the pandemic is over. They are offering weekly prizes of $100 gift cards to be provided to someone working hard and providing an essential service to the community during this time. Anyone can nominate a deserving individual through Just For You Day Spa’s 33rd Street location Facebook page, and once this is all over, the winners will be able to come in and enjoy a day of much-deserved pampering and relaxation!
Realty Executives in Regina is taking some time to highlight essential service workers, including nurses, grocery store workers, healthcare professionals and other essential service employees, rather than publishing their monthly Top Producers for March. They have been working with their agents following the social distancing rules in their office and with clients, and providing the agents with many new digital tools to conduct as much of their real estate transactions online as possible. They also are continuing to work with the Canadian Mental Health Society in Regina, which is an important part of health and wellbeing.
To all businesses, individuals and services prioritizing healthcare and frontline workers, we TOAST you! Any donation is an important one — whether food, equipment or services — that will make life easier for essential workers. We TOAST the efforts of our essential services workers and those working to take care of them, helping to better our community, one service at a time.
Find out more about how local businesses offered free online services to help out at home when the pandemic arrived.
