Some Good News Amid the Outbreak

The Kindness Postcard has been making its way around the internet. It's a printable postcard that you can put in your neighbor's mailbox that says "If you need help, I'm here." Simply fill our your information and let your neighbor know you'll run errands, share supplies, or simply be a shoulder to lean on.

South Portland landlord Nathan Nichols knows that people are going to have a hard time financially, so he posted a message on his Facebook page announcing that he would not be collecting April rent from the six properties he owns, and is challenging other landlords to do the same. He wrote, quote:

COVID19 is going to cause serious financial hardship for service and hourly workers around the country. I own a two unit in South Portland and all of my tenants are in this category. Because I have the good fortune and of being able to afford it and the privilege of being in the owner class, I just let them know I would not be collecting rent in April. I ask any other landlords out there to take a serious look at your own situation and consider giving your tenants some rent relief as well.

Even before restaurants were closed to shutter their doors, internationally recognized chef José Andrés began turning his restaurants in to community kitchens. According to an article, Andrés stated, quote:

The community kitchens will operate out of the restaurants’ side doors with a limited number of volunteers from 12 – 5 pm daily beginning Tuesday, March 17, offering only takeout service. All restaurant employees will be provided with paid leave and current health benefits for at least the first two weeks.

It's wonderful to know he's providing comfort to his community and his employees.

A customer at Coaches Bar and Grill in Columbus, Ohio surprised staff by leaving a $2,500 tip with instructions to split the tip among the five staff members on the floor that evening. According to an article, owner Benny Leonard said, quote:

We’ve got unprecedented times going on, we’ve got people fighting over toilet paper and so on and so forth, and to have a guy show up and care enough about people that give him a beer and a hamburger once in a while, that means a lot," Leonard said. "It’s humanity at its best.

You don't get in to the business of pastry for the money. You do if because you love it. Amidst the fear over Coronavirus, a Washington state based business owner feared that her cupcake shop would not survive. To her surprise, business has seen an uptick. People in the community are placing large orders for nurses, firefighters, teachers and more.

One of the most vulnerable groups of people during this outbreak is the elderly. It's incredibly important that they avoid large groups at all cost, which proves difficult when shopping for necessities. That's why grocery stores around the country have decided to open an hour early to accommodate their elderly patrons. It keeps customer count low, and helps seniors avoid large groups and long lines.

The company behind high end makeup products and perfumes for Christian Dior, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton is halting production of fragrances to focus on producing hand sanitizer they plan to give to hospitals absolutely free of charge.

Hospitals in Italy are overwhelmed with the amount of cases they are handling. It's not just man hours that are in short supply. They are running out of clean valves for oxygen masks. Some local 3D printing companies stepped in and printed as many valves as they could and donated them to the hospitals to be distributed. This story goes to prove that everyone has something to offer to help.

Italy has been hit hard by Coronavirus. As of the publishing of this list, there have been 27,980 confirmed cases and 2,158 deaths. It's no surprise the Italian government has enacted incredibly strict bans, barring people from leaving their homes entirely. This has had an unexpected effect. With no one in the streets to litter pollution has gone WAY down, and the canals of Venice are crystal clear. Hopefully this can be a lesson to the world that changes we make now can have huge impacts.

Like many public places that see large crowds daily, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has had to shut its doors. This has given the resident penguins the opportunity to do some exploring. Employees took a video of Wellington, a rockhopper penguin, making his way around a piranha exhibit and it's just as charming as it sounds.