Newspaper Deliveryman Has Made 500 Grocery Runs for Seniors During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Over the last two months, Dailey has made 500 grocery runs and counting for senior citizens living near his home in East Windsor, New Jersey, he told CNN. The 50-year-old began making the trips when an 88-year-old customer asked him to throw her newspaper closer to her garage when he was making his delivery rounds
A few days later, Dailey realized that if the woman needed help retrieving a newspaper a few steps from her door, she was going to need more help if she needed to go to the market.
Dailey then approached the woman with an offer to go shopping for her. After she accepted, the woman asked Dailey if he could also help a neighbor across the street.
“I deliver [newspapers] to 450 customers who live in senior developments,” Dailey told CNN. “These are two people who live within a hundred feet of each other who can’t get out to get groceries. What about the rest of them?”
Realizing the help that was needed, Dailey included a note in his newspapers that offered to pick up goods from the store for anyone who needed assistance — all free of charge.
“My name is Greg Dailey and I deliver your newspaper every morning,” the note read, according to NJ.com. “I understand during these trying times it is difficult for some to get out of their house to get everyday necessities.”
“I would like to offer my services free of charge to anyone who needs groceries, household products, etc.,” the note continued. “I will be shopping at ShopRite and McCaffery’s and can deliver the goods directly to your front door.”
The service has proven popular for the seniors, who are at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Today, Dailey’s grocery runs have expanded to people outside of his normal newspaper delivery route, and he’s become a hero for the 120 seniors he helps.
“I don’t have enough adjectives. He is one of the finest people in the world,” 85-year-old Eileen Stein told CBS News of Dailey.
Dailey — who also gets help from his 24-year-old daughter, Erin, according to CNN — said he may continue the service even after the pandemic passes.
“There’s a level of appreciation here… that goes above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen,” Dailey told CBS News. “So, no, I’m not going to stop.
He added: “There’s something about being able to do something really nice for people.”
