An Eerie Sight
The road was eerily quiet on his route and almost completely empty -- save for the surreal and hulking black sentinels that had been posted at the end of each driveway, lining both sides of the road.
Getting out of his truck, he got to work. He didn’t notice that something was amiss until he arrived at a familiar house. Then, he called dispatch.
Jake Bland
Jake Bland genuinely loved his job at Hometown Hauling. Fair enough, being a garbage man wasn’t exactly the most glamorous of jobs, but it had its perks.
He took pride in knowing that he was doing his part -- out on the frontline. But little did Jake know, something awful had been going on in one of the homes that he passed every single day.
Experience
Being in the garbage industry for 15 years now, Jake thought he’d seen it all. He had found all sorts when unloading people’s trash.
From unwanted engagement rings and jewelry, to fully sealed food that had run out of date. But then one day, in the midst of a global pandemic, everything changed. And Jake was never the same again.
Surreal Times
With the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, Jake and his team had to adhere to strict safety measures. He had to wear PPE, wash his hands as often as he could, and he could no longer chat with his customers.
Riding in his truck through the now empty and silent streets was a surreal experience. He had a feeling that things were never going to be the same again. And they wouldn’t be – but not for the reasons he had thought.
Favorite Resident
There was one resident in Louisville who was Jake’s favorite. She loved to reminisce about the times with her late husband over a cup of hot tea while Jake unloaded her trash.
And so, when Jake knew he had to empty her trash the following day, a feeling of sadness crept upon him. He may not be able to speak to her, but at least he could see her. And wave from a distance. Or at least that’s what he thought.
Something Strange
Jake and his team pulled the truck up to a cul-de-sac. A few houses were scattered amongst the rose beds and greenery.
As Jake goes from one black garbage bin to another, he notices something strange from across the road. His heart sank as he realized that it was at number 34 -- Louisa Allen’s house.
Missing
Her garbage bin was completely empty and her house seemed eerily quiet. Normally by now, the friendly 90-year-old woman would have been out, wrapped up in her dressing gown, and waiting to have a chat with Jake.
But she wasn’t there. What had happened? He walked up to her front window and peered inside, his heart racing.
A Sinking Feeling
For the past two weeks, Jake had noticed that Louisa hadn’t put her trash out or come to the driveway to greet him.
It was strange for Jake, who remembers Louisa as an elderly woman with a penchant for peanuts and a gin and tonic. Jake knew something was off. Looking in her window, nothing moved. With his worst suspicions confirmed, he whipped out his phone.
Fearing The Worst
Jake quickly called dispatch and asked them to call Louisa. His heart was racing as all the worst-case scenarios began to play out in his mind.
This was not normal – he felt it in his gut. He knew he had to find out what had happened and hoped he wasn’t too late. But when he did, his heart shattered.
Getting Answers
Bernice Arthur, a member of the dispatch team, called the 90-year-old woman immediately after speaking to Jake.
With the state of the world right now, Bernice knew the elderly were at serious risk. So she couldn’t just sit there; she had to do something. But when she called Louisa, she could never have anticipated what was really going on in that house.
They Had to Help
For more than two weeks, the elderly woman had no way to leave her home or get groceries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
It turned out that Louisa Allen had failed to put the trash out because she didn’t have anything to eat. She was running out of food. As soon as Jake heard the reason why his heart broke. He knew he and his team had to help this woman.
Getting Groceries
Jake helped compile a list of groceries and went shopping. After around 2 hours of queuing, Jake finally managed to get some food and he checked out.
He loaded his van and made his way over to Louisa’s house to personally deliver the groceries himself. But while on the drive there, Jake hoped that it wasn’t too late. After all, she was 90 years old.
Surprising Her
Louisa wakes up from her nap to find Josh standing over her. A smile is plastered on his face – although she couldn’t see it underneath his mask -- and he was clutching a couple of bags of food from the local supermarket.
“I heard about your situation, so this for you,” Jake says to Louisa, who immediately bursts into tears at the kind gesture. But how did it get to this?
A Dire Situation
The pandemic not only canceled school for students across the country and shut down businesses, leaving people without income; it also meant that one of the vulnerable populations was left without access to food.
Senior citizen centers that serve hot meals to the elderly were forced to shut down, since seniors are considered to be at high risk for the virus.
No Trash To Put Out
Programs like Meals on Wheels struggled to provide food for the elderly that rely on them for nourishment.
The volunteers were concerned that they would contract the virus, or about being asymptomatic and infecting those senior citizens that they were trying to care for. “She just didn’t have nothing to eat and that’s why she had no trash to put out there,” Bernice said sadly.
Looking Out For Her
“It was even in a nice neighborhood. You never know what’s going on in your neighbor’s house,” Jake said in an interview.
“It was even in a nice neighborhood. You never know what’s going on in your neighbor’s house,” Jake said in an interview.
Staying Vigilant
This story just goes to show that, during these difficult and troubled times, you should always check on your loved ones in any way possible.
Whether that’s a video call, a socially distanced visit, or even penning a letter! Yes, a letter... It’s important to make sure that everybody you know is staying safe in these alarming times. After all, we’re all in this together.
Getting Help
According to CNN, there are numerous organizations spanning the country that are offering meal support to children, families, and seniors.
Sometimes all it takes is a phone call to secure the help that’s desperately needed. Fortunately for Louisa, she doesn’t have to worry about where her next meal is coming from -- as long as the Covid-19 is a threat, Hometown Hauling will continue to provide food and other essentials for her.
A Local Hero
The story quickly spread and went viral. People all over the world are calling Jake Bland a hero.
But Jake shrugs off the praise, saying that he just hopes that his vigilance will inspire other people to check in on their community members. America as a society needs to do all that it can to ensure that as many people as possible are safe and secure.
We're All Family
While Jake sits at a safe distance from Louisa, the two discuss the events of the day.
“Ever since my husband passed a couple of years ago, it’s just been me. We didn’t have any children so I have no family, nobody!” Louisa says in between sobs. Suddenly, Jake gets up and gets closer to Louisa. He holds her hand and squeezes it tight. “Well Louisa, you do have a family now,” he says.