'Together we can stay safe, move on and beat this'

“In mid-March, when the world came to a standstill, we at Village Taxi had two choices. We could shut down or continue to serve our customers.

"We chose the latter.

“Essential workers still needed to go to their jobs at Walmart, BJs, grocery stores and pharmacies.

“Nurses, health care providers, EMTs and all first responders on the front lines needed our help to get their jobs.

“Others still needed to get to dialysis, doctor’s appointments, hospitals and stores. With 70 percent of our customers staying home, we delivered medical supplies, food and other necessities to our seniors and those who couldn't risk being in public.

“It hasn't been easy. This pandemic is destroying small businesses everywhere. Instead of 80 calls a day, we have 30. One of our biggest expenses is insurance. Each car is $7,000 a year to insure. Our insurance is helping by deferring payments to the end of the policy when hopefully business will pick up.

“We look forward to a return to normalcy, when people can return to work, children can resume their activities and buses and trains are back on schedule. Serving our customers and community is first and foremost the reason we do what we do.

“As we all move forward into the next phase of this pandemic, we will continue to follow all safety protocols to keep ourselves and others safe. Drivers will use masks and sanitize the cars before and after each customer. Customers are required to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose also.

“We are proud to be part of the front lines a serve our community. We thank everyone for their support during this very difficult time. Together we can stay safe, move on and beat this.”

Compiled by Nancy Kriz