28 | AUGUST 27 • 2020
T
hough Michigan con-
tinues to grapple with
COVID-19 cases this
summer, essential workers in
the Jewish community have
been breathing a sigh of relief
over the past few months.
Many grocery store workers
find working conditions to
be more tolerable since April,
when the pandemic was at its
worst.
Joe Montgomery, general
manager of Johnny Pomodoro’
s
in Farmington Hills, recalled
some of the hardships the
market suffered when the
pandemic first hit Michigan in
mid-March.
“Our whole business model
had to change. Sales were
down, and everyone was stay-
ing at home,
” Montgomery said.
To adjust to the “new nor-
mal,
” Montgomery said the
store began to limit ordering of
less popular grocery items and
embrace social distancing poli-
cies as customers were required
to stand at a 6-foot distance in
grocery lines. As a result, he
said the store is slowly getting
back to operating at a normal
capacity.
“Supplies constantly out of
stock, like cleaning wipes, alco-
hol and hand sanitizer, are now
back on our shelves,
” he added.
Montgomery said workers
have a cleaning schedule to rou-
tinely sanitize surfaces to min-
imize the chances of spreading
or contracting the virus.
But not every store has taken
the same precautions. Jordana
Wolfson, who picks her grocery
shopping times carefully, said
she’
s gone to another market in
the area that isn’
t making the
same effort to keep workers and
customers safe.
“The market in my area
needs to take some of the same
precautions that larger super-
markets like Kroger take. They
need to put up plexiglass for the
cashiers who deal with so many
people on a regular basis. They
also need to sanitize the shop-
ping carts. This will save lives,
”
Wolfson said.
Even though coming to
work daily has been a risk
for Montgomery, he remains
dedicated to his job despite
concerns about contracting the
virus.
“Our job in the grocery store
is essential. We must meet the
needs of the people in our com-
munity,
” he added.
In fact, his dedication
and tireless efforts have not
gone unnoticed by Johnny
Pomodoro’
s customers.
Recently, customers designed
and posted a banner for
Montgomery and the grocery
store workers which read,
“Thank You, Grocery Store
Heroes.
”
Montgomery is also pleased
that most of his customers
have been complying with the
governor’
s order requiring all
Michiganders to wear face
masks or cloth coverings over
their nose and mouth.
“Wearing a mask is one of
the ways that we can protect
each other during this pandem-
ic,
” he added.
toward November with the
hope this will become a
statewide initiative with our
hospital leading the crusade.
“We thought patients
might feel like their health
was their priority, not cast-
ing a vote,” Schavrien said.
“But after spending time
with them, we saw just how
important this was. Once we
understood what a difference
this made for our patients,
we vowed to commit to
doing this for every election
moving forward.
“As we know, voting is not
only a right but a responsi-
bility,” she continued. “With
the uncertainty of what the
future holds, any and every
opportunity to make this
happen needs to be explored.
“Both Erin and I feel very
strongly that every person
should be granted the oppor-
tunity to exercise their right
to vote should they choose
to. As far as public health is
concerned, with the possibil-
ity of mass hospitalizations
come fall, the vote-by-mail
option would certainly help
to support this right.”
Whether it’
s nursing or
social action, Schavrien cred-
its the inclusivity, forgiveness
and acceptance in Judaism
with keeping her centered in
all she does.
“What resonates with me
from my Jewish teachings
is the humanistic quality
I grew up with at Temple
Israel,” she said. “This
is something I strive to
live by — understanding
people as people first and
patients second.
“There’
s so much that’
s
been rewarding through-
out my career, I’
m almost
immune to the feeling
of reward,” Schavrien
said. “Sometimes I take a
step back to observe my
actions, and I do feel a
sense of accomplishment.
I’
ve had a great run, and if
I stopped working tomor-
row, I’
d know I’
ve made a
difference.”
continued from page 26
LISA SCHAVRIEN
Schavrien
helps deliver a
friend’
s baby
boy, Brody
Grocery
Workers
Are
Essential,
Too
KENNETH POWERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jews in the D