Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

DISPOSABLE MASK, LAUNDRY BAG, AND PAPER SIGN

Date

2020

Materials

FABRIC, ELASTIC, WIRE, PAPER

No. Pieces

3

Length

48.5

Width

47

Description

A) DISPOSABLE BLUE AND WHITE NON-MEDICAL FACE MASK. LENGTH: 17.5CM WIDTH: 9.5CM. COMMERCIAL LIGHTWEIGHT PLEATED FABRIC WITH ELASTIC LOOPS ON EITHER SIDE FOR FASTENING AROUND THE EARS. ADJUSTABLE WIRE NOSE PIECE INSIDE THE FABRIC ALONG THE TOP. MASK HAS BEEN USED BUT VERY GOOD CONDITION. B) WHITE COTTON BAG WITH DRAWSTRING CLOSURE. LENGTH: 48.5CM WIDTH: 47CM. THE BAG HAS A LOGO NEAR THE BOTTOM THAT SAYS “EC LAUNDRY BAG”. SLIGHTLY WORN, VERY GOOD CONDITION. C) SIGN ON 8 ½” BY 11” SHEET OF WHITE PAPER. PRINTED IN BLACK INK SAYS “GLOBAL FAMILY HELPING EACH OTHER” AND “SOUTHERN ALBERTA CHINESE ASSOCIATION” ALONG WITH CHINESE SCRIPT. THE SIGN HAS TAPE ALONG THE TOP THAT WAS ATTACHED TO COTTON BAG. THE SIGN IS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH SOME WRINKLES.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

ASSOCIATIONS

HEALTH SERVICES

History

ON JULY 2ND, 2020 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED JAN GONG AND TREVOR PAGE IN REGARD TO THE LETHBRIDGE SENIOR CITIZENS ORGANIZATION'S (LSCO) DONATION OF A MASK, CLOTH BAG, AND PAPER SIGN TO THE MUSEUM. ACCORDING TO A SOUTHERN ALBERTA CHINESE ASSOCIATION (SACA) PRESS RELEASE, GONG DONATED THE MASKS ON MARCH 26TH, 2020 AFTER QUICKLY ORGANIZING THE SHIPMENT FROM WUHAN, CHINA. THE MASKS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO THE LSCO, THE HAIG CLINIC, AND THE CHINESE COMMUNITY IN COLLABORATION WITH GONG'S FORMER UNIVERSITY PEER IN CHINA. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS DERIVED FROM THE DISCUSSION. AT FIRST, JAN HAD SHIPPED MASKS TO CHINA FROM LETHBRIDGE AT THE OUTSET OF THE PANDEMIC: “…IN FEBRUARY IS WHEN WE CELEBRATE OUR CHINESE NEW YEAR. THEN SUDDENLY, IN CHINA THIS COVID-19 [OUTBREAK STARTED] AND WE WERE SO NERVOUS AND WORRIED... WE CANCELLED ALL OF OUR ACTIVITIES IN LETHBRIDGE AND WE MOBILIZED...THE CHINESE COMMUNITY TO DONATE…MONEY TO BUY [CHINESE MADE MASKS]…MASKS TO SHIP BACK TO CHINA… THEN WE CALLED A…GROUP OF OUR PEOPLE IN CALGARY, AND THEY HAD REGIONS [IN CHINA] THAT NEED HELP…[BUT THERE WERE] SHIPPING ISSUES AND SOME OF THE AIRLINES BROKE. SO, I WAS THINKING I SHOULD CALL MY [UNIVERSITY] CLASSMATE WHO USED TO [WORK AND LIVE] IN WUHAN.” JAN WENT ON TO DESCRIBE HOW THE MASKS WERE EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES WHEN IN NEED: “…[MY FORMER CLASSMATE] IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED TO ME SAYING ‘YES SURE I CAN HELP YOU…AS LONG AS YOU SHIP ALL THE STUFF INTO THE...BORDER [AND THEN TO]…WUHAN’. [SHE SAID SHE WOULD DISTRIBUTE THE MASKS IN CHINA]... I SAID ‘THAT IS A HUGE HELP, THAT’S REALLY GREAT'… SOME MONTHS LATER, [LETHBRIDGE STARTED TO HAVE A COVID-19] OUTBREAK, NOW WE HAVE THE PROBLEM… [MY CLASSMATE] IMMEDIATELY CALLED [AND ASKED] ‘DO YOU NEED HELP?’ THEN AT FIRST…I SAID—I WAS FEELING EMBARRASSED— ‘WE JUST SHIPPED SOME THINGS TO YOU AND NOW YOU SHIP [EQUIPMENT] BACK TO US? THAT’S WEIRD.’ SO… [I RESPONDED] ‘LET ME CALL A FEW PEOPLE AND SEE IF WE NEED IT.’ SO, I CALLED THE HAIG CLINIC…AND...THE CITY. THE CITY SAID THAT ROB [MIYASHIRO AT THE LETHBRIDGE SENIOR CITIZENS ORGANIZATION] IS THE MAIN PERSON TO COORDINATE…[SO] I CONTACTED HIM… HE SAID ‘YES, WE ARE REALLY DESPERATE, I NEED SOME SOME [MASKS].’ THEN I CALLED [MY CLASSMATE IN CHINA] BACK… SHE SHIPPED ABOUT 10000...MASKS TO CALGARY. OF COURSE, CALGARY IS A BIGGER PLACE AND THEY NEED MORE AND…MORE PEOPLE GOT INFECTED. AT THAT TIME, [LETHBRIDGE] JUST STARTED TO HAVE SOME CASES... I [TALKED] TO THE CALGARY...CHINESE COMMUNITY…[AND DECIDED] THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE [ARE] THE...SENIORS AND THE PEOPLE WHO SERVE THE SENIORS... THEY NEED THE HELP... [I FIGURED] THE SENIOR CENTER [IN LETHBRIDGE] IS THE BEST PLACE [FOR THE MASKS] TO GO… WE DIDN’T TAKE LONG, AT THE BEGINNING THE SHIPPING WAS...DIFFICULT TO GET IT IN... MY CLASSMATE, THEIR COMPANY PAID THE...SHIPPING EXPENSES... IT IS A FASTER DELIVERY WITH A SPECIAL PLANE TO GO IN… THEN…OUR LOCAL CHINESE VOLUNTEERS…MADE A SPECIAL TRIP TO CALGARY TO PICK IT UP FROM THE PLACE WHERE…OUR [SHIPMENT FROM CHINA] WAS LOCATED… AT THAT TIME WE WERE VERY CAUTIOUS. WE WERE WEARING THE MASKS AND GLOVES AND WE [DID] NOT TOUCH EACH OTHER… THEN WE…[LEFT THE SHIPMENT] OUTSIDE THE [LETHBRIDGE] CITY HALL. IN ORDER TO GET IT OUT QUICKLY, WE...OPENED THE CASE AND CALLED THE HAIG CLINIC [AND NOTIFIED THEM THAT] ‘IF YOU NEED SOME COME PICK IT UP’… THE REST WE [GAVE] TO THE SENIORS CENTER AND THEN SOME WE [KEPT]…FOR OUR CHINESE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE, AT THE VERY BEGINNING, DONATED MONEY FOR US TO SHIP THE [PRE PANDEMIC] STUFF BACK TO CHINA.” TREVOR ADDED: “…IT STARTED WHEN COVID-19 BROKE OUT IN CHINA. THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA CHINESE ASSOCIATION FELT THEY SHOULD DO SOMETHING FOR CHINA, AND THEY HAD A COLLECTION AROUND THAT SENT [A COUPLE SUITCASES FULL OF] MASKS FROM HERE TO CHINA.” TREVOR CLARIFIED FURTHER: “JAN IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF [THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA CHINESE ASSOCIATION]... WHEN [COVID-19 STARTED] TO COME ACROSS TO NORTH AMERICA THE KEY PERSON IN THIS WHOLE THING APART FROM JAN WAS…HER UNIVERSITY CLASSMATE IN CHINA. SHE WAS [A PART OF] THE FIRST BATCH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AFTER THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION. [THEY HAVE] VERY STRONG BONDS [AND] KEEP IN TOUCH… [THE SHIPMENT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN]…POSSIBLE…[THROUGH] THE OFFICIAL CHANNELS, THEY WERE ALL BLOCKED TOTALLY. IT WAS THAT PERSONAL CONNECTION THAT DID IT.” JAN TALKED ABOUT HOW THE ITEMS WERE DIVIDED UP BETWEEN CALGARY AND LETHBRIDGE: “…I THOUGHT WE SHOULDN’T CLAIM TOO MUCH, JUST TAKE SOME.” “[A] SPLIT IS [WHAT] I COMMUNICATED WITH THE CHINESE [COMMUNITY] IN CALGARY, AND TOLD THEM WE ALSO NEED IT… [THEY ASKED] ‘A THOUSAND IS OKAY?’ [AND I REPLIED] ‘YES, 1000 IS OKAY’. ACCORDING TO HOW MANY CASES WE HAVE AND HOW MANY CASES THEY HAVE, 1000 WAS ENOUGH FOR LETHBRIDGE AT THAT TIME.” “…200 [WENT] TO THE HAIG CLINIC AND…300 FOR THE…CHINESE COMMUNITY WHO… [PROVIDED] DONATION[S] FOR THE MASKS [THAT WERE SENT TO CHINA PREVIOUSLY].” JAN ELABORATED ON THE GOODWILL BETWEEN THE COMMUNITIES: “…[OUR REACTIONS WERE]...AUTOMATICALLY...’OH MY GOODNESS THEY NEED THE MASKS SO LET’S...HELP THEM’. THEN [THE PEOPLE IN CHINA] AFTERWARDS [RECIPROCATED] ‘OH NO YOU NEED THE HELP, LET US…HELP YOU.’” JAN ALSO COMMENTED ON THE QUALITY OF THE MASKS: “...IN CHINA, WUHAN IS THE MAIN MASK [MANUFACTURING] AREA... THEIR QUALITY…SHOULD BE ENSURED… AFTERWARDS, I PERSONALLY DIDN’T TAKE ANY [OF THE DONATED MASKS], I JUST BOUGHT [MASKS] FROM [THE] INTERNET…[AND FROM] WALMART… THE QUALITY IS DIFFERENT, ALL THE STRINGS…FALL OFF AND THIS [MASK FROM ELSEWHERE] I CANNOT WEAR. [THE DONATED MASK FROM WUHAN]… IS MUCH BETTER.” JAN SPOKE ABOUT THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS: “I THINK [THE MASKS ARRIVED IN CALGARY IN] MARCH… [THEN WE HAD TO THINK ABOUT]…HOW CAN WE GET IT IN TO LETHBRIDGE? THAT’S A BIG ISSUE. IF I ASK THE COURIER, THAT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND THEN NOBODY EVEN [WANTED] TO SHIP IT... THEN THE LOCAL VOLUNTEER SAID [THEY WOULD] MAKE A SPECIAL TRIP...[TO CALGARY] TO PICK IT UP. SO, [IT WAS BROUGHT TO LETHBRIDGE]…ONE WEEK AFTER [THE SHIPMENT ARRIVED FROM CHINA]…” JAN SHARED WHAT THE MESSAGE BEHIND THE EXCHANGE OF THE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WAS: “TO ME, IT IS ABOUT…[HOW] WE ARE IN A BIG FAMILY. IN A BIG FAMILY, WHOEVER [HAS] SOME PROBLEMS, WE HELP EACH OTHER... THOSE DAYS...[THE] MEDIA [WAS]…VERY BAD, NASTY [AND] NEGATIVE AND I FEEL LIKE THAT’S NOT RIGHT. IT SHOULD SHOW THE POSITIVE AROUND AND...TELL...PEOPLE WE ARE JUST ONE FAMILY. HELPING EACH OTHER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ACCUSING EACH OTHER… 50 YEARS LATER I HOPE THAT...THE WHOLE WORLD...IS LIKE ONE FAMILY, NOT JUST I AM HERE IN CANADA YOU [ARE] IN CHINA…” ON JUNE 26TH, 2020 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN MET WITH ROB MIYASHIRO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LETHBRIDGE SENIOR CITIZENS ORGANIZATION. IN THEIR INTERVIEW, THE TWO DISCUSSED THE DONATION OF MASKS RAPIDLY ORGANIZED BY JAN GONG—ONE OF WHICH WAS GIVEN TO THE MUSEUM. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THEIR CONVERSATION. AFTER HEARING THAT THE GALT MUSEUM WAS INTERESTED IN THE DONATION OF A MASK, ROB THOUGHT: “…DUE TO HISTORICAL RECORDS [THE MUSEUM]… [WANTED]…A REAL ARTIFACT. I SAID, ‘WELL THAT’S A GREAT IDEA. WE HAVE STUFF.’ OF COURSE, THE THING ABOUT THE MASKS CAME UP, THE DONATION FROM THE [SOUTHERN ALBERTA] CHINESE ASSOCIATION…WHICH WE DID HAVE SOME LEFT OVER AT THAT TIME. WE DON’T HAVE ANY LEFT NOW. WE ALSO HAVE THE [DONATED] BAG THAT THEY CAME IN AND THE SIGNAGE THAT THEY PUT ON THE BAGS. SO, IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A HANDMADE COTTON BAG WITH THE DRAWSTRING. SO WHEN…ASKED [TO DONATE]…I SAID 'ABSOLUTELY, IF WE CAN HELP…IN ANY WAY, WE WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF THAT.'” ROB SPOKE ABOUT HOW THE LSCO WAS CHOSEN TO RECEIVE THE MASK DONATION: “...I CAN’T REMEMBER HOW [JAN GONG] PICKED US, BUT I THINK IT’S BECAUSE…JAN KNEW SOMEONE WHO KNEW LSCO, BECAUSE WE DID MEALS ON WHEELS AND WE’RE IN CONTACT WITH A LOT OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. THEY SAID, ‘HERE, WE WILL GET YOU FIVE HUNDRED [MASKS] AND IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO USE THEM, FIND OUT WHO CAN.’ SO OF COURSE… RIGHT AROUND THAT TIME, WE GOT A GROUP OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAME TOGETHER OVER ‘SLACK’—THE COMMUNICATION PLATFORM—OVER 50 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. SO, I JUST THREW IT OUT THERE: ‘WHO NEEDS MASKS? HOW MANY DO YOU NEED? I AM GOING TO KEEP GIVING THEM AWAY [UNTIL] THEY’RE DONE.' WE KEPT ABOUT A HUNDRED [MASKS] BACK FOR OUR SOCIAL WORKERS ON MEALS ON WHEELS, AT THAT TIME WE WEREN’T USING THAT MANY... THEN WE GAVE SOME TO SAGE CLAN, TO [SOUTHERN ALBERTA SELF HELP ASSOCIATION], TO 'MY CITY CARE' AND...TO ONE OF THE FOOD BANKS TOO…” ROB RECOUNTED HOW THE DONATED MASKS WERE PACKAGED: “[THE MASKS] WERE…IN THE FACTORY PACKAGES [OF] TWENTY-FIVES... THEY JUST HAD THEM STUFFED INTO THAT [DONATED] COTTON BAG.” “THE [SOUTHERN ALBERTA CHINESE] ASSOCIATION HAD [CREATED THE DONATED SIGN]. THEY PRINTED THEM OFF AND THEY HAD THEM STUCK TO THE SIDE OF [THE BAG]...” ROB TALKED ABOUT THE CHANGES MADE WHEN THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK AROSE IN LETHBRIDGE AND THE USE OF THE DONATED MASKS: “...AT THAT POINT WE WEREN’T SURE WHAT [EQUIPMENT] WE WOULD NEED… WE…IMPLEMENTED PROTOCOLS [SO PEOPLE WERE] NOT GOING TO MEET FACE TO FACE WITH [MEALS ON WHEELS] RECIPIENTS... YOU’RE GOING TO KNOCK ON THE DOOR, YOU’RE GOING TO PUT THE MEAL DOWN AND YOU’RE GOING TO BACK AWAY. SO AT THAT POINT, THERE WASN’T MUCH OF AN ISSUE ABOUT MASKS UNTIL WE REALIZED THAT OUR SOCIAL WORKERS WERE STILL TRANSPORTING SENIORS TO APPOINTMENTS, THEY WERE MEETING WITH SENIORS IN THEIR HOMES... IT WAS [THEN THAT] WE REALIZED THAT…MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE KEPT A FEW MORE [MASKS]... WE WERE ABLE TO SOURCE SOME OTHER ONES, WE WERE LUCKY. WE WERE ABLE TO GET MASKS WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, EVEN TO THIS DAY.” ROB EXPLAINED THE SERVICES OFFERED BY THE LSCO: “…WE HAVE THREE SOCIAL WORKERS—A LEAD SOCIAL WORKER AND TWO THAT WE CALL SENIOR SYSTEM NAVIGATORS. [THEY’RE] PRETTY COOL NEW POSITIONS… THEY CONNECT WITH OTHER AGENCIES, THEY FIND HELP FIND RESOURCES, THEY CAN DO A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE SPACE COUNSELLING, THEY CAN LIAISE WITH DOCTORS AND NURSES IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION, THEY CAN DO WORK WITH FAMILIES… THEY ARE ON THE [GO] ALL THE TIME, THEY ARE IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR STAFF ARE SOME OF THE VERY FEW OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS ALLOWED TO GO INTO SOME SENIOR RESIDENCES BECAUSE THEY HAVE SEEN US AS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE [DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS], SO THAT IS WHY THE MASKS WERE IMPORTANT.” ROB CONTINUED: “…TO THAT LEVEL THERE [ARE] NOT [THE SAME SERVICES OFFERED BY THE LSCO ELSEWHERE], TO A LITTLE DIFFERENT LEVEL THERE’S SIMILAR STAFF AT LETHBRIDGE HOUSING AUTHORITY...BUT THEIR WORK IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. THE COOL THING IS THAT THEY ARE MEETING ONCE A WEEK ON ‘ZOOM’, THE STAFF OF THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AS OUR LEAD SOCIAL WORKER WHO…IS THERE TO DIRECT SOME OF THEIR WORK EVEN IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS—THAT’S KIND OF THIS PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE DEVELOPED… THE MASKS…LED THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS WITH THE SENIORS.” ROB TALKED ABOUT HOW SENIORS HAVE BEEN COPING WITH THE PANDEMIC: “…WELL FOR THE MOST PART SOME OF THEM MANAGED REALLY WELL, SOME HAVEN’T, DEPENDING ON HOW LARGE THEIR SOCIAL NETWORK IS AND WHETHER THEY ARE ENGAGED IN OTHER AGENCIES… I THINK THAT IS WHERE STAFF LIKE OURS, AND FROM…OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE REACHING OUT TO ISOLATED SENIORS, ARE A REAL HELP. WHAT WE DID SEE AS WELL ARE ALL THE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT STARTED FLOWING FOR ISOLATED PEOPLE—FOR SENIORS, FOR FOOD RELATED THINGS… ALL OF A SUDDEN IN OUR GROUP OF HELPING AGENCIES IN LETHBRIDGE, ABOUT 50 OF US, THERE IS [NOW HEIGHTENED COMMUNICATION]. NOW THE FOOD BANK IS REPORTING THEIR NOTICE ON OUR ‘SLACK’ PLATFORM THAT ‘WE HAVE GOT FOOD, DO YOU KNOW IF ANYONE NEEDS IT?’ OR ‘CAN YOU USE IT FOR MEALS ON WHEELS?’ THEN THEY HAVE THESE LITTLE CARDS PRINTED OUT THROUGH ONE OF OUR GROUPS…VOLUNTEER LETHBRIDGE AND LETHBRIDGE PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP, AND IT [SAID] ’HEY HOW ARE YOU DOING? IF YOU ARE NOT DOING WELL, PHONE THESE NUMBERS.’… WE PUT SOME OF THOSE [CARDS] IN OUR MEALS ON WHEELS FOR SENIORS… A LOT OF THE STUFF BUILT ON EACH OTHER, RIGHT NOW WE PROBABLY WON’T SEE THE EFFECTS OF COVID ON OUR OLDER POPULATION FOR A FEW MONTHS.” “YOU ALREADY SEE SOME MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES…” ROB EXPLAINED THE IMPACT COVID-19 ISOLATION HAS HAD ON SENIORS FURTHER: “…[BUT] WE HAVEN’T SEEN [THE SENIORS]…SO [MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ARE] PROBABLY HAPPENING NOW, BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO SEE THEM AND THEY ARE PROBABLY NOT GETTING OUT AND SOME OF OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AREN’T IN PLACE AGAIN. SO, WE ARE GOING TO START SEEING [THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS], AND AS SOON AS WE START GETTING MORE CONTACT, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO START BEING DEPRESSED… I MEAN WE ARE ALREADY GETTING PHONE CALLS RIGHT NOW FROM PEOPLE SAYING ‘HEY, REALLY CAN YOU OPEN? I’M JUST LONELY AND I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO.’… ONE OF THE REASONS WE STAYED OPEN, NOT STAYED OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BUT STAYED OPEN IN TERMS OF STAFF…IS DOING WELLNESS CHECKS. SO, WE PHONED AT LEAST 1500 PEOPLE, VOLUNTEERS AND MEMBERS, TO SEE HOW EVERYONE IS DOING. PEOPLE REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND A LOT OF THEM SAID, ‘YOU KNOW, THAT’S GREAT BUT I HAVE GOT THIS SUPPORT AND YOU DON’T NEED TO CALL ME BACK AGAIN. I’M GOOD BUT THANKS A LOT FOR CHECKING.’… THEN THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE WHO SAID ‘YEAH YOU NEED TO CALL EVERY WEEK OR EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS. DON’T TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST IT WOULD BE NICE TO CHAT WITH SOMEONE.’ THEN WE LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAD STAFF ON THE PHONES EVERY DAY…[THAT] OUR FRONT DESK STILL WAS OPEN AND SO PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO CALL IN AND TALK TO A SOCIAL WORKER OR CHAT WITH ONE OF THE STAFF THEY KNOW BETTER. SO, I THINK THAT WAS GOOD THAT ALSO HELPED IN TERMS OF PEOPLES’ MENTAL WELLNESS.” ROB SPOKE ABOUT THE DIRECTION THE LSCO WAS HEADED INTO THE SUMMER OF 2020: “[ON THE] 26TH OF JUNE [2020] WE ARE GEARING UP FOR A SOFT OPENING... I JUST DID A VIDEO OF A WALK THROUGH BEFORE I [DID THIS INTERVIEW] TO POST ON OUR WEBSITE FOR OUR BOARD AND FOR THE PUBLIC… [IT] SHOW[S] ALL THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE TO GET READY FOR COVID, AND WE ARE GOING TO SEE HOW IT GOES. WE’RE LUCKY WE HAVE A BIG SPACE, BUT WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT SPACES. SO, WE CAN COMPARTMENTALIZE THINGS SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO WORRY AS MUCH ABOUT HAVING 50 DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN ONE SPOT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE 50 DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN ONE SPOT…ALL OUR SPACES ARE ISOLATED. SO, IN THE NEXT ROOM THERE ARE TWENTY CHAIRS SET UP FOR CHAIR YOGA— THAT’S A LOT OF CHAIRS BUT IT IS A BIG ROOM… WE HAVE OUR DINING ROOM SET UP ABOUT HALF AS MANY TABLES ARE USUALLY IN THERE BUT…WE HAVE OUR CHAIRS SIX FEET APART FROM CHAIR BACK TO CHAIR BACK... SO, WE ARE GEARED UP, WE ARE READY TO GO LIKE I SAID WE HAVE HAD PEOPLE PROVIDING SUPPORTS FOR SENIORS…THE WHOLE TIME. OUR ELDERS ABUSE CASE MANAGERS HAVE BEEN WORKING, OUR MEALS ON WHEELS HAVE BEEN WORKING… WE HAVE GOT A COUPLE OF SPECIAL DRIVE IN MEALS… ONE DURING SENIORS’ WEEK, PEOPLE PHONED IN, BOOKED A MEAL, THEY DROVE THROUGH AND ALL OUR STAFF WERE OUTSIDE HANDING THEIR MEALS AND WAVING AT THEM… YESTERDAY…WE HAD ABOUT 150 MEALS… WE HAD CLOSE TO THE SAME [AS PRE-COVID TIMES] AND IT WAS ALL DRIVE THROUGH.” SENIORS HAVE BEEN A VULNERABLE POPULATION DURING THE PANDEMIC, SOMETHING ROB ACKNOWLEDGED: “…OUR PRECAUTIONS I THINK ARE A BIT MORE THAN SOME OTHER PLACES LIKE A RETAIL PLACE…OR EVEN SOME OTHER SMALLER RESTAURANTS… MY STAFF AND OUR OPERATIONS MANAGER—WHO CREATED OUR PLAN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE OTHER STAFF—THEY ARE THE ONES THAT WALKED THROUGH THE [LSCO] BUILDING SAYING ‘WE NEED THIS, WE NEED THIS’, AND I SAID ‘YOU GUYS JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN.’… WE DON’T WANT TO BE THE SITE OF AN OUTBREAK. WE DON’T WANT TO BE THE CAUSE OF AN OUTBREAK IN LETHBRIDGE AND I THINK THE WAY WE HAVE THINGS SET UP ARE GOOD. [HEAVEN] HILL GAVE US A WHOLE BUNCH OF HAND SANITIZER– 20 LITERS PLUS 40 MICKEY BOTTLES FULL.” “…THAT IS WHY WE HAVE ALL THESE HAND SANITIZER STATIONS ALL OVER THE BUILDING AND THE SPRAY BOTTLES… ALOT OF THAT IS THE BLACK VELVET [DISTILLERY] SANITIZER...” ROB DESCRIBED THE POSITIVE MOVEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19: “…THE REALLY GOOD THING…THAT [THE MUSEUM] CAN HIGHLIGHT…IS THE UNBELIEVABLE RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THE PANDEMIC. THERE IS THIS GROUP THAT I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT…FROM SRI LANKA—THE GUJARATI [SOCIETY OF LETHBRIDGE & AREA]… [THEY] ARE UNBELIEVABLE, THEY PROVIDED LUNCH FOR THE TRANSIT DRIVERS ONE DAY, THEY GAVE US A BUNCH OF MONEY, THEY GAVE MONEY TO SOME OTHER ORGANIZATIONS…” “…[THE GUJARATI SOCIETY IS] DOING A LOT OF FUNDRAISING AMONGST THEMSELVES SOMEHOW. THEY…HAD A WHOLE TABLE FULL OF…SANDWICHES AT THE TRANSIT CENTER GIVING THEM OUT TO THE DRIVERS AND THE STAFF JUST SAYING THANK YOU… THE FOOD BANKS HAVE BEEN UNBELIEVABLE GIVING US SOME OF THEIR SURPLUS– NOT EVEN SURPLUS THEY JUST HAVE TOO MUCH FOR THEM TO USE… THEY [RESPONDED TO] OUR CALL TO GROUP HOMES THAT NEED FOOD, AND THERE IS THAT KIND OF SHARING GOING ON. THAT IS WHAT THE PANDEMIC REALLY HIGHLIGHTED FOR ME, HOW ALL THE SOCIAL HELPING AGENCIES REALLY PULLED TOGETHER AND…MADE A COMMITMENT, AND TO KEEP OUR COMMUNICATION GOING AFTER THE PANDEMIC SO THAT WE CAN HELP RESPOND TO SOCIAL ISSUES TOGETHER…SO THAT IF ONE OF OUR AGENCIES NEEDS ASSISTANCE WITH SOMETHING THEY KNOW THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IS THERE TO BACK THEM UP… THAT IS REALLY THE MOST POSITIVE THING THAT HAS COME OUT OF THIS FOR ME— IS PEOPLE JUST COMING TOGETHER.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20200025000

Acquisition Date

2020-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail