Ontario RV Owners are Lending Their Motorhomes to Coronavirus Doctors and Nurses
Ontario RV Owners are Lending Their Motorhomes to Coronavirus Doctors and Nurses
Posted on April 13, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is causing immense difficulties across all areas of life, but it's also bringing out the best of many members of the community. Amid the distress and disruption of job losses, some RV owners are putting their treasured vehicles to excellent use, helping others through the crisis despite their own difficult circumstances.
Ontario RV Owner Comes to a Care Worker's Rescue
A shining example is Tony Wood of Peterborough, Ontario, who was laid off from his logistics company job as the coronavirus crisis took hold. But rather than waste time feeling sorry for himself, he decided to do whatever he could to help hospital workers on the front line of the COVID-19 effort.
After reading a Facebook post detailing key workers' urgent need for self-isolation accommodation, Wood decided that his camping trailer could be a perfect solution. Working with Stacey and Al Robinson of Great Canadian RV, also out of Peterborough, he donated the use of his trailer to a care worker in Cambray who was currently sleeping in her car to avoid passing any infection to her diabetic boyfriend.
"It was pretty amazing", said Wood of the care worker's reaction, adding "She was very ecstatic!"
Wood says that his trailer is hers for as long as it's needed, with no fees or rental charges whatsoever.
Loan Out Your Own RV
Fellow RV owners who wish to follow Wood's example can take advantage of a new feature by the motorhome renting network, RVezy. The service connects owners of unused RVs with people who wish to rent them, but trailer owners can now advertise their vehicles rent-free for key medical workers, with RVezy waiving their normal fees.
Ontario RV Dealership Donations
But it's not only Ontario individuals who are stepping up to the plate. The RV Canada dealership in Metcalf, Ottawa, has loaned local care home Osgoode Care Centre three used RVs in which staff can self-isolate if necessary, helping to maintain the centre's current coronavirus-free status if an outbreak occurs in the community.
The generosity of dealership manager Mike Garrick is all the more welcome as there are no hotel rooms available in the immediate area, while the donated RVs will be able to house up to five care workers following full physical distancing rules.
David Egget, chair of the non-profit home's board of directors, said that the donation will "really, really help" the organization. Osgoode's CEO Lori Norris said that staff at the centre had been left in literal tears of gratitude after they heard isolation accommodation will be freely available when it's most needed.
For his part, Garrick said that as he has a nurse in his family he understood the risks medical staff are taking. Loaning the three RVs was just a small thing he could do to help, and he hoped that other RV centres around the country would make similar contributions.
And with most Canadian RV dealerships under temporary closure through the coronavirus crisis, the huge inventory of used vehicles sitting idle could certainly make life easier for front-line workers in Ontario and beyond.
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