Murrysville man gives back to community amid coronavirus pandemic

Andrew Thompson was overwhelmed when he found a thank-you note posted on the front door of a home he was delivering groceries to.

The note, which read “Thank you, Andrew, for delivering,” is one of several the 41-year-old Murrysville resident has received since he started working for Instacart, a grocery delivery service, last month when state and local leaders implemented orders to help curb the spread of covid-19.

“It means the world to me because I always feel that if you could pay it forward, that’s the most important thing. … I know that deep down these people appreciate what myself and other people are doing,” Thompson said.

Thompson, director of food and beverage for Hilton Hotels, has been out of work since March when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close. Thompson knew he had to take the opportunity to give back to the community.

“I’ve just had it ingrained from my parents to help the less fortunate because you don’t know when you’ll need help yourself,” he said.

Thompson receives grocery orders from local community members through the Instacart application on his phone. From there, he goes to grocery stores to pick up the food and delivers to homes throughout the Murrysville area. The service partners with Shop ’n Save, Target, Sam’s Club, Aldi, CVS and Rite Aid.

For someone who has been in the food industry for decades, Thompson said he enjoys finding fresh produce for people “because there’s nothing worse than getting a bad piece of produce.”

When he first started delivering in March, most of the customers where elderly or those who could not leave their homes. As the virus continues to spread, Thompson said people of all ages have started using the service.

As fears rise over the virus that has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people across the country, those in the grocery delivery businesses raised their own concerns over safety of entering grocery stores and delivering food to homes. A strike by Instacart workers in late March highlighted those fears, the Associated Press reported.

Gig Workers Collective, an activist group vying for fair treatment of workers, asked for a nationwide walk-out because of a lack of gloves and masks they say Instacart did not provide for workers. In the days following the strike, Instacart officials said they would provide workers with a kit containing a mask, hand sanitizer and a thermometer, CNBC reported.

Thompson, however, said he is not nervous about catching the virus at a grocery store because he takes all recommended precautions.

While the end of the coronavirus is seemingly out of sight, Thompson said he plans to continue with the company once he returns to work.

“When the world gets back to normal, people are still going to need this service,” he said. “I want to continue to help.”