A garbage man in Kentucky on his route noticed that an elderly customer hadn't put any trash out for two weeks, so he decided to check on her - and she's lucky he did.

According to Daily Kos, Jake Bland was on his solid waste collection route when he realized that "Mrs. W's" trash can wasn't at the road for the 2nd week in a row. Many people would celebrate having one less trash can to empty on his or her route, but not Jake: he decided to call the office and have someone there call Mrs. W to see if she was okay.

Bernice, the office dispatcher, placed the call, and, thankfully, Mrs. W answered. She was relieved to hear Mrs. W's voice, but then saddened when she found out why her trash can wasn't put at the road 2 weeks in a row: Mrs. W told Bernice that she had run out of food 10 days prior, so there was no trash to put out.

Mrs. W, according to the story, is wheelchair-bound and was relying on a caretaker to buy her groceries. The caretaker quit going to Mrs. W's home due to concerns over the coronavirus and, because she has no family, Mrs. W had no one to reach out to for help.

When Bernice told Jake the story, Jake gained permission to enter Mrs. W's house, inventoried her pantry and refrigerator, and had Mrs. W make a list of food she wanted. Then, after his shift, Jake took it upon himself to go shopping for Mrs. W, and the company reimbursed him.

Jake told Mrs. W, "you have a family now."

The company is now checking up on all of its elderly customers to make certain that they are being taken care of, and they are checking up on Mrs. W each week.

Be like Jake. Check on your neighbors. Remember, it's not being nosey if there is a genuine concern. Now is the time we need each other.

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