JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several people in Northeast Florida are opening up their recreational vehicles to medical workers battling COVID-19.
The gesture is part of a nationwide movement called ‘RVs 4 MDs.’ The Facebook group pairs frontline healthcare workers with an RV or camper in their area, so that they have a temporary place to stay to avoid potentially exposing their loved ones to the novel coronavirus.
In Orange Park, Chuck Seader has a 32-foot RV he hopes to provide to a local healthcare worker.
“It’s just sitting here in the driveway or in the grass and if someone can use it and still have a good sense that they’re keeping their family safe and get good rest in order to be able to go back to work the next day, then I am doing my part in this community,” Seader said.
Rita Manyette, who lives in Mandarin, does not have an RV. But she’s offering up her property to someone who wants to park an RV there.
“I just think it’s a great way to offer any help we can to the folks that are putting their lives at risk for us," Manyette said. “Those folks need the safety. They need to know that they can come to a safe place, they can rest and they can go back to work without endangering their families.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Seader and Manyette are still waiting to be matched with local healthcare workers.