Coronavirus Response: Maryland National Guard Filling Needs Amid Volunteer Shortage Due To COVID-19
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Maryland National Guard has been deployed at sites across the state to lend a hand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With volunteer numbers down at critical organizations, the National Guard is stepping up to do everything from helping run COVID-19 testing sites to delivering supplies to food donation sites.
One of those delivering meals Friday was Sgt. Ronny Ricks, a born-and-raised Baltimorean, growing up in the Park Heights neighborhood. Today, that neighborhood is a hotspot for COVID-19.
"I've been past to see my mother, but of course through a glass screen door. I make sure they're okay," he said.
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Ricks and the National Guard spent Friday delivering boxed meals provided by the Maryland Food Bank to various recreation centers throughout the city.
"Our guys are out on the front lines, but they want to be," Capt. Ben Hughes said. "They really care about their neighbors, they really care about their friends and families that are in these places."
Hughes said the Guard's work is more than just handing out meals.
"It's about taking care of our community; it's about being there when we're needed and we'll stay here as long as we're needed too," he said.
While their mission during a public health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything they've seen before, they're prepared to set up for as long as they're needed.
"Some of the people we're helping out are some of the family members of the people that's in the Guard, so it's good to be helping Baltimore, the place that you live in," Ricks said.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
