Columns
Blaine’s Bulletin: The 3rd District Comes Together
Washington,
April 17, 2020
This week, I was honored to be named to President Trump’s Opening Up America Again Congressional Group. The Administration and our medical community have worked tirelessly to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, and the appreciation we feel for our medical professionals and first responders who put their lives on the line everyday cannot be overstated. As we continue taking measures to keep ourselves healthy, we are also faced with the dangers of a crippled economy that is threatening the livelihoods of millions of families here in Missouri and across the country. It is critical that we take the necessary steps to put Americans on the path back to economic success while maintaining our dedication to public health. I look forward to working alongside the President as he leads the United States through one of the most difficult periods in our history, and I will continue keeping you updated as the Task Force carries out our mission. As the country fights the virus and works on getting back on our feet, the outpouring of support from our communities here in Missouri during the coronavirus pandemic has been so encouraging to witness. During one of the most difficult moments in our nation’s history, people are stepping up to help one another. From delivering meals to the hospitals who are working around the clock to keep Missouri healthy, to gift cards for medical staff staying in hotels, to individuals making and delivering PPE, to teachers asking their students to draw encouraging pictures to be delivered to our hospitals, Missourians are going above and beyond to lift each other up right now. I recently heard from a Third District resident named Ed who is one of many people coming up with creative ways to help the medical community and our small businesses at the same time. With many medical workers and first responders forced to stay in hotels in order to protect their families, they do not have a kitchen and must depend on outside food to survive. Ed is purchasing gift cards from local restaurants and donating them to those workers, giving them an opportunity for a good meal and our local businesses some desperately needed customers. The first responders at the St. Charles County Ambulance District have also been the recipients of community kindness, and deservedly so. The community is donating PPE, children are sending homemade drawings and positive messages and meals are being delivered. As the people who have dedicated their lives to serving us normally do, the Ambulance District is paying it forward. They too have begun an internal fundraiser to send meals from local restaurants to local hospitals. The fact that the people tasked with running into the danger are at the same spending their own money to help other on the front lines of fighting the virus is exactly why they are appropriately called our hometown heroes. America has come together, and while we are going through a tough time right now, we will get through it. Missourians have shown that when times are hard, we step up lend a helping hand. I know we all look forward to life getting back to normal, but until then, let’s continue to stay as safe and healthy as possible and look out for each other. |