Kindness During Crisis: Granite Staters Give Back During the COVID-19 Outbreak
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to upend all of our lives, I am profoundly inspired by the Granite Staters rolling up their sleeves and giving back.
Every day, I hear about another Granite Stater who is making a difference in their community. They’re people like the DeSimones, who created a makeshift food pantry on their front porch in Derry so that neighbors in need could easily access necessary supplies, ranging from toilet paper to pasta sauce.
And young Americans are finding ways to contribute too. Students — who would normally be participating in this year’s FIRST Robotics competition — are instead turning their attention to building life-saving ventilators that are desperately needed.
Granite State businesses are also adapting to meet today’s most urgent needs. Distilleries are creating hand sanitizer, while companies such as Burgeon Outdoor and BAUER Hockey are creating masks and face shields for medical workers instead of their usual outdoor apparel and athletic gear.
Seeing this all-hands-on-deck spirit brings me hope in these difficult times. As Granite Staters — and as Americans — this resilience is in the very fabric of our being.
In just my lifetime, I have seen our nation persevere through tragedy, disaster, and attacks. The assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy. The Iranian hostage crisis. The attacks on 9/11. The Great Recession. Devastating hurricanes, ice storms, blizzards, and wildfires.
In each instance, we have witnessed hardship met with kindness. And through that kindness we were able to recover.
I am confident that the story of this time in our history will be no different.
As this global pandemic persists, I will continue to fight for the health, safety, and economic well-being of the people of New Hampshire. And I know that we will all continue to show kindness to our neighbors and communities. If you know someone who is finding a way to give back during this difficult time, please share their story here or by using the hashtag #GraniteStatersGiveBack on Twitter.
