Many front line workers, including those in healthcare, are facing COVID-19 head-on.
But that has left them afraid to go home to their families at night because there is a fear of exposing them to the virus.
Pine Acres RV in Moncton has come up with a potential solution.
They are donating a number of used RVs temporarily that allows some of those workers to self-quarantine while close to home.
Owner Matthew Brown says he first saw the idea posted on Facebook by an RV dealer in Western Canada.
“We have a yard full of trailers that are obviously not being used, and not a lot of them are being sold, so why don’t we give back to the community that has given so much to us. That started the whole process. Why not offer them temporarily to those on the front lines for use?” Brown says.
He posted his offer on Facebook on April 6th, and he has been overwhelmed by the response.
“We’ve had anywhere from an emergency ER doctor with five children at home to someone who is living with their elderly parents with health issues. But they still have to be on that front line,” says Brown.
“The trailer can be parked in their driveway. It allows them to go home, but still be isolated at the same time.”
His hope is to provide to as many as he can in the Moncton area. This will also benefit Pine Acres employees that have been temporarily laid off.
“We are going to be able to bring some of our staff back in, hopefully for a couple of weeks worth of work, to go through the units, de-winterize them, get the propane filled up and make sure everything is working, and deliver them. We are doing a non-contact delivery where we can send a video with a quick tutorial on how to use the unit,” Brown says.
Brown would love to accommodate every request, but based on logistics, he is forced to make the decisions of who will receive a used trailer.
“With the soft ground, unfortunately, the trailer has to be parked in a driveway, and it depends on things like how long your driveway is for instance.”
He also has a limited number of used units to be able to offer right now. The community support, though, has been overwhelming.
Brown has had offers from others who were willing to deliver trailers for free. He even heard from someone who offered their personal trailer for use if needed.
“We are trying to keep this in the local Moncton area, just for logistics, insurance purposes, travel time. Because we have had requests from other communities, we’re hoping some of our local competition, might follow by example,” Brown says.
He hopes to start deliveries by next week.
