On the recordDecember 17, 2020
Over the last 10 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on our communities: from our frontline heroes working around the clock to families who have gone hungry, to the millions who have lost their jobs, and, heartbreakingly, the over 300,000 who have lost their lives. While many of us believe that the Federal Government can and still should do much more to alleviate the impact of the pandemic, we all can be inspired by the compassion, innovation, and resilience of the people in our communities who have stepped up to serve and to try to fill the needs laid bare by this crisis. They are our local heroes. A few weeks ago, my office launched a local heroes initiative to showcase the countless people in Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District who have gone above and beyond to help those in need throughout this crisis. In just the first few days, we received over 100 submissions, and it has grown since then. From nurses on our front lines to children organizing food drives, we were overwhelmed by the stories of resilience, ingenuity, and absolute determination by members of our community whose stories we don't hear enough. So, today, I want to share a few of their stories. I am talking about people like Nicole, an emergency manager, who is now serving our community by running two emergency rooms due to the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases.…
