I am not someone that watches many hours of TV, but this weekend, COVID-19, rain, and a 1-year-old limited what I could do to occupy my time. Star Wars was on our TV and I heard Yoda say to Anakin Skywalker “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” I thought of how powerful that statement was and how relevant it is for the current situation. I realized how important it was to focus on and encourage the positive support I have seen from individuals and companies during this time. Below are a few examples of the good deeds people are doing to help our local community.
- Billy Bob’s Texas, a dancehall and restaurant in Fort Worth, opened for a 3-day blood drive. Carter BloodCare was able to collect 316 units of blood in a room that allowed for the recommended social distancing between donor beds and waiting areas. @BillyBobsTexas
- Tim Love, a Fort Worth based restaurant owner, was forced to close 14 of his restaurants and layoff hundreds of employees. He has opened his catering kitchen to provide meals to those in need. He will have a hot lunch and dinner program available every weekday. @cheftimlove
- Harbor Freight Tools announced that they will be donating all remaining inventory of masks and gloves to hospitals in need. @HarborFreight
- Goddard Schools in Southlake has remained open to provide childcare so that parents with essential job duties can continue to work. Last week, staff and students wrote thank you letters to healthcare providers, servicemen and women, grocery store clerks, pharmacists, and city workers. @GoddardSchoolSouthlakeTX
- A local caterer, Tiffany’ s Taste, had all of her events canceled and was left with hundreds of dollars in already purchased food. She used this inventory to make meals for a local charity that provides access to emergency housing and food for youth in crisis. @TiffanysTasteCateringCo
- Bendt Distilling Co. in Lewisville was forced to close tours and tasting bars. They decided to turn their alcohol by-product into hand sanitizer and give bottles away for free. They have provided hand sanitizer for local first responders and health care workers. @BENDTDISTILLING
- Many large companies have committed to paying employees during closures. Disney, Apple, lululemon, REI, GAP, Macy’s @Disney @Apple @lululemon @REI @Gap @Macys
- In response to the baby formula shortage, breastfeeding moms donated breastmilk to moms in need through a Facebook group “Human Milk 4 Human Babies – Texas Group”
These examples make me hopeful that people are concerned during this time, but not fearful. Concerned for the health of their loved ones, concerned about the economic impact on small business owners, concerned for the safety and well-being of people they have never met. I am hopeful that this concern will result in kindness and altruism and not the fear-anger-hate-suffering path that Yoda describes.
