SAN ANTONIO — Coronavirus has thrust us into a new world of living. While there's no shortage of pain and despair, there's also an abundance of hope.
"There has been an outpouring of support for the most vulnerable members of our community," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. "I went to the Food Bank the other day to one of their mega-distribution sites, and what was remarkable was not so much the number of cars that were pulling up to get relief, but the fact that they were outnumbered by the number of volunteers who were there."
Mayor Nirenberg says these volunteers and all other workers on the frontlines of the pandemic are heroes.
"We’ve redefined what heroes are in this crisis and it’s really, really inspiring," Nirenberg said. "I’m inspired by the teachers who lives had to turn on a dime and they’re still maintaining their composure to teach the kids who are at home. We are a working community, we know what hard work is."
He shared how his family and his faith have helped him stay grounded in this trying time.
"My wife, who is not only become our household chef and adjunct teacher to my son, but somehow managing to work from home and also be a counselor to me on occasion," he said. "I was raised Catholic, but my father is Jewish, and I've learned to spend a lot of time, inspiration from many other faiths in our community. What gives me comfort is the common ground that they share which is the golden rule, being compassionate."
The mayor says there is no doubt the effects of this crisis will be long-lasting, but the challenges cannot outlast San Antonio's fighting spirit.
"The resilient nature of the community will continue to give us strength to get through the next day," Nirenberg said. "We’re all in this together, which I’m so glad has become the phrase that will mark this period of time we’re in. There is darkness with this pandemic, but the sun also rises."