ROSEVILLE, Calif. — It goes without saying that the pandemic has caused some form of hardship for many people, and that's why PRIDE Industries in Roseville repurposed the use of their services to help those who are vulnerable.
Prior to the pandemic, the company used a fleet of 60 vehicles to provide rides for people with disabilities throughout the greater Sacramento area. But everything changed once the COVID-19 crisis began.
"When the pandemic hit, we realized there was going to be hardship bad," stated Dawn Horwath, Director of Rehabilitation Services for PRIDE. "We reached out to everyone. We did some virtual townhall meetings...and we said what can we do to help?"
And they came up with an incredible way to provide assistance. PRIDE now uses its fleet to deliver groceries, personal protective equipment, activity packets, and other supplies to its employees with disabilities throughout the region.
"We don't want them to think that we forgot about them, so we have packets that we deliver to their homes and residences to let them know that we think about them," stated PRIDE bus driver Joe Madrid.
Toni Beck is someone who has used their services for the last eight years and is grateful for the service they offer. "I enjoy going back and forth to my mom's house and back to my apartment to check my mail," said Beck. "I like it very much."
The buses also provide socially distanced "scenic access rides" to support individuals' mental wellbeing.
Crews were out cutting down trees and assessing damage after the storm. Many residents say the city did not do enough to prepare for a storm like this.
