By Senator Richard Blumenthal
Over recent months, I’ve been deeply moved by the hardship and heartbreak people are enduring and overcoming. In countless video conferences, telephone calls, and personal visits, I have witnessed loss and grief, courage and perseverance, caring and generosity. Greenwich and all of Connecticut are meeting an unparalleled and unprecedented challenge unlike anything we have faced in our lifetimes.
In our town, like the state, families and small businesses are struggling with health care and financial issues – inspiring me to work for bipartisan Congressional action. The service of our frontline workers is especially moving.
So many of our neighbors continue to do their jobs and face this insidious disease. We must never take for granted these heroic sacrifices of essential frontline workers who courageously confront the horrors of COVID-19 every day. I’m championing a Heroes Fund to reward and recognize the sacrifices and tireless work of nurses, doctors, healthcare providers, and first responders, police, fire, grocery and delivery workers, and many others. They are the heroes of this pandemic. I’ve also worked for more small business assistance, and aid to our hospitals for testing and personal protective equipment.
I have met with businesses across the state, as well as faith leaders, homeless shelters, food banks, domestic violence advocates, and others, I have seen and heard firsthand their struggles and challenges, and the support they’ve given their communities.
I have visited businesses who’ve paused their production lines to support the state’s critical need for personal protective equipment (PPE). I have met with restaurant owners keeping their kitchens open to deliver meals to our frontline workers and members of our communities who have volunteered to organize food distribution sites. I’ve read stories of crafters across Connecticut volunteering their skills to fill the demand for much needed masks and community members who’ve made time to check on neighbors. I’ve watched mobile food banks distribute groceries to miles long lines of cars.
The resilience and resoluteness of Greenwich as well as our entire state should give us all strength. Even as we may feel more isolated, our community has found new ways to come together, with rolling parades for birthdays, virtual commencements, and more frequent video chats with family and friends. Congress has produced three major relief packages seeking to address both health care and economic needs but more must be done.
All of us have been impacted by this virus. We are all in this struggle together, and we will get through it together. If you, or a member of your family, needs help during this time, I encourage you to reach out to me.
