As COVID-19 case numbers rise, one Fresno-based company has pledged $100,000 to help with grocery shopping.
Volunteers from Bitwise Industries have made close to a hundred trips in Fresno, Madera and Tulare Counties delivering groceries and medications to elderly and immune-compromised people. Vice President Terry Solis said it’s part of the company’s new “Take Care” initiative.
Solis said she’s taking the necessary hand-washing and social distancing precautions.
“I really don’t feel like I’m putting myself at huge risk,” said Solis. “I think it’s more, paying attention to what you’re doing and being conscious as you’re doing it.”
Solis said her family experienced something similar back in 2009. They lived in Mexico during the H1N1 pandemic, and everyone took it upon themselves to self-isolate. No member of her family got sick, but Solis said they had to be resourceful. If they needed a facemask, she said, they sewed it themselves.
While the social distancing practice is the same, Solis says the Bitwise mentality is: “You need to be creating solutions for our community at the same time, so it’s not a ‘self-preservation,’ it’s more a community-oriented objective.”
She says the company is looking for more volunteers to make deliveries. Those who want to help, or be helped, can sign up online.