Without a doubt, everyone had a difficult year in 2020. Healthcare workers had to put up with demanding working conditions. Healthcare workers were not the only professionals pushed to the breaking point at the beginning of the pandemic when they were denied adequate protections and forced to spend the entire day wearing the same sweaty face mask due to a shortage while the government held onto reserves.
Even though 2020 has been terrible, many heroes have appeared despite the pandemic. Daily praise for the life-saving work of healthcare professionals has given way to accolades for the record-breaking work.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to many other unsung heroes who helped us get through this year, such as the deliverymen who kept on bringing us the necessities while we were safe inside our homes. In a heartfelt act of gratitude that has since gone viral, locals in one Virginia town recently came out to thank their neighborhood UPS driver.
Anthony Gaskin has always given everything he has to his job.
As a UPS driver in Chesterfield County, Virginia, he strives to be punctual so that his packages arrive on time, and he always goes out of his way to greet his customers with a smile or a wave. In some cases, he even stops for a brief conversation.
But, until this year, Anthony had no idea how important his daily deliveries were — or how much his upbeat personality influenced the people on his route.
This is due to the fact that many of these packages aren’t just mindless online shopping orders.
Many of Anthony’s customers receive life-saving medicine in the boxes and padded envelopes he delivers to their doors. Other times, they have care packages from relatives or other items that mean a lot more to them than Anthony will ever know. And it’s become abundantly clear this year, more than ever before, how much he means to the community he serves.
When a surprise “Thank You” parade arrived for Anthony, he was shocked.
He suddenly noticed dozens of cars lined up on either side of the road as he was traveling one of his usual routes. Many of the drivers started to wave and applaud after getting out of their cars and standing 6 feet apart, of course.
Some even emerged from their homes carrying handmade signs.
“Hallsley loves you, Anthony,” read one, which suddenly made it clear — this was all for him.
The touching moment came as a surprise.
However, residents of Hallsley claim that it was more than merited.
“Even though his truck does not have sirens and his uniform does not offer added fire protection, Anthony Gaskins is considered a hero in the Hallsley neighborhood, through COVID, Anthony has continued working, delivering packages at our doors, record numbers of them, over 180 times to date,” Patty Friedman said in an email to WTVR.
Some might argue that he was simply going about his job, but Patty insisted that it goes beyond that.
“I wanted to thank him personally for how much he helped me feel welcome when I moved in during a pandemic,” she added. “It was terribly lonely and he was always the highlight of my day.”
Patty soon understood she was not alone after discussing this with a few neighbors. Anthony is actually well-liked and has a lot of supporters, as it turned out.
As a result, the neighborhood decided to unite and express its collective gratitude to Anthony for his service.
“Arriving on bikes, on foot, and in more than 75 cars, hundreds of Hallsley residents lined the road and waited for Anthony to turn the corner. A humble man, he needed to be coaxed, but eventually, slowly drove his truck down the road while children and adults held up signs, screamed his name, honked their horns, and rang bells. Gaskins’ supervisors even showed up to present him with a gift,” Patty told WTVR.
By all accounts, Anthony was blown away by it all — and, according to Patty, he responded in his typical humble fashion.
“The neighborhood gesture visibly moved Gaskins, who spoke briefly, thanked everyone, and then got back to work,” she shared.
Watch the video below for more details:
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