'Extraordinary Courage' From Chesco Grocery Workers, Boss Says

KIMBERTON, PA — As the world is turned upside down by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the front lines of the fight are found in more places than most people realize.

It's not just healthcare workers risking exposure on a daily basis while providing critical care; it's employees at gas stations and especially grocery stores putting themselves on the line to keep the community healthy and fed.

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The boss at Kimberton Whole Foods has taken notice.

"(The employees) display extraordinary courage and team spirit," CEO Terry Brett wrote Thursday.

Grocery store workers at places like Kimberton, but also at other area supermarkets and smaller markets, work long hours, often in cramped spaces, with higher workloads ever since the outbreak began. Even keeping social distancing best practices in mind, it's difficult to not come into close contact with coworkers and the general public.

"Due to the nature of our business, we in the grocery retail industry are being called upon to perform an “essential service” for our communities; a role that we have always served in the past but that seems much more critical now that our services are being viewed as 'a front line of defense and safety for promoting health and wellbeing to our customers,'" Brett continued. "We all feel the strain, but of what I have seen personally and heard from others, our amazing team has risen to the challenge and is working tirelessly..."

In a time when small, locally owned businesses are being hurt the most, Kimberton, whose services fall under Gov. Wolf's "life-essential" category, continues to serve the community.

Brett also urged families to only send one person to the store, in order to limit crowds and keep everyone safer.

Kimberton Whole Foods has changed their store hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Kimberton location will close at 6 p.m. on Sundays. The closest nearby locations include:

• 2140 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville
• 429 East King Road, Malvern
• 222 East Main Street, Collegeville