From the start, Keith Hunt wanted Plumbs Up Plumbing and Drains to deliver something above and beyond for his Orangeville. Ontario, neighbors.
Hunt started the company with his wife, Lynsey, in 2018. The former high school sweethearts wanted Plumbs Up to be known as a high-end plumbing company that was active in the Orangeville community and went out of its way to give back.
This week, in the midst of the worldwide COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, the Hunts and Plumbs Up partnered with Deja Vu, a local diner, to deliver some other things to area senior citizens.
Milk. Eggs. Bread. And hope.
That’s what Plumbs Up, in partnership with Deja Vu, took to the homes of older citizens of Orangeville on Wednesday, the same day the company posted a video about wanting to help the community on its Facebook page. They delivered 11 packages on the first day.
The idea was born during Hunt’s trip to Deja Vu, in search of BLTs for his family. And he said he already had an idea of what he wanted to do. He asked Jennifer Betz, manager of the Deja Vu, if she had enough extra eggs, milk and bread to help seniors in the area. The two two businesses would split the cost, and Plumbs Up would deliver the packages.
She said yes, they filmed a video for Plumbs Up’s Facebook page, and the requests started coming in. Then the deliveries began, consisting of a package dropped on the front porch and a knock at the front door, then maintaining social distancing to protect the recipients’ health.
“We just wave and yell from the window of the van,” Lindsey Hunt said.
And the response?
“Tears,” Lynsey Hunt said. “They're in their 80s, late 80s they don't drive. Some of them live in apartments. So they're really stuck in their small places. It just totally makes their day and warms their heart.”
A commitment to the community amid Coronavirus outbreak
The deliveries are the least the businesses can do in this uncertain time, Keith Hunt said.
“We're making the best of the situation here with what's going on,” he said. “Everyone's so uncertain and has lots of fear, right?”
Giving back to the community is nothing new for Plumbs Up. The company has done that since the company was founded.
“We're really known for that company to be a clean, active role in the community, and we've done it since Day 1,” Lynsey Hunt said. “Being the neighborhood plumber, that was our vision right from the get-go.
“For us doing what we did today, that's just a normal thing for us. We knew the situation—people are scared, people aren't leaving their houses, especially seniors or people who have compromised health. So we just thought, let's help them because that's just who we are.”
Delivering for Plumbs Up customers is a priority, too
Plumbs Up strives to deliver protection for customers amid the Coronavirus outbreak, too.
The steps they take include:
Proper PPE (personal protective equipment)
Nitrile gloves
New drop sheets for every customer, washed and sanitized before they are used again.
Hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes in each truck
iPads wiped down between calls, and
Proper social distancing between technicians and customers at all times.
“We just really want to make our clients feel very, very comfortable,” Keith Hunt said. “They already have enough anxiousness and worries and fears just from what's happening in society.”
Most of those safeguards aren’t new.
“We have done those things ever since we started in 2018,” he said. “For the people that use our services, they know that. And for new people, we're known as that staple, as that high end plumbing service company for this community that we serve.
“We're just really known as their neighborhood plumber.”
The milk, bread and eggs are just part of taking care of the neighborhood.
Delivering hope? That’s because we’re all in this together.
Is your business going above and beyond to help your community during this uncertain time? ServiceTitan would love to tell your story, too. Email us with a brief description and contact information.
