BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Local organizations have been working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to deliver food to families in need across Boston during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Baker spoke alongside representatives from the city of Boston, the YMCA, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and the MBTA, about the joint effort to deliver meals.
"What made this partnership so unique is that it was driven, literally, by the men and women behind the wheel of the T's RIDE service," said Baker. "As of today, RIDE drivers have completed over 8,000 deliveries, totaling more than 12,000 grocery bags and nearly 60,000 school meals."
With demand for transport down over the past few months, Baker said some of the MBTA's drivers were noticing some vulnerable residents were unable to leave their homes to access food.
According to Baker, the collaborative effort to deliver meals began because of the RIDE drivers' willingness to help.
By the end of April, Baker said 20 drivers from the RIDE service had pivoted to deliver daily meals to residents dealing with food insecurity.
The day after Massachusetts reported zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time in months, Baker also said there is "no spiking the ball" when it comes to coronavirus statistics.
"There are no victory laps from COVID," said Gov. Baker on Wednesday. "I've said this many times... it's not going to take the summer off."
Baker said a huge part of the state's success in gradually decreasing the spread of the virus has been "the commitment people have made to things that stop the spread," including wearing face coverings, washing hands, disinfecting surfaces, and keeping socially distant.
As another holiday weekend approached amid quarantine, Gov. Baker also urged Massachusetts residents to continue following best practices for keeping COVID-19 at bay.
"We have a big weekend coming up, it's 4th of July," said Baker. "I really hope people continue to take this seriously."
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