Neighbors in a Virginia community came together to say thank you to a UPS driver known as a hero for providing life-saving daily deliveries throughout the pandemic.
The driver, Anthony Gaskin, was moved to tears when residents of the Hallsley neighborhood in Chesterfield County, Virginia, came together on Dec. 15 to thank him for his record number of daily deliveries, reportedly 180 since the pandemic began.
“Arriving on bikes, on foot, and in more than 75 cars, hundreds of Hallsley residents lined the road and waited for Anthony to turn the corner,” Hallsley neighbor Patty Friedman told CBS6. “A humble man, he needed to be coaxed, but eventually, slowly drove his truck down the road while children and adults held up signs, screamed his name, honked their horns and rang bells.” The show of appreciation happened along Gaskin’s normal delivery route.
Friedman said Gaskin made her feel welcome when she moved into the neighborhood during the coronavirus crisis. After talking to other neighbors, she realized she wasn’t alone in feeling like Gaskin’s deliveries were sometimes the highlight of her day.
Friedman and her neighbors worked together to find a way to show their appreciation for Gaskin. On the day the plan was executed, Gaskin’s supervisors showed up to present him with a gift. Gaskin, who was moved to tears, spoke briefly then returned to work.
Neighbors who turned out to show their gratitude said Gaskin always “delivers our packages with a wave and a smile.”
One neighbor shared that their six-year-old daughter has been unable to see her grandparents for more than a year, but that many of the deliveries Gaskin brings are items from the grandparents the child has been unable to see.
“The joy the packages bring makes it worthwhile. Thank you for always delivering them with a kind smile and a friendly wave!” the neghbor told Fox 13.
Neighbors said Gaskin often knows the names of everyone in the family, including pets.
“He thinks he’s delivering just a package, but he’s really delivering something very special,” said one neighbor, who said she’s seen Gaskin more than her own family.
Footage of the gesture has reached more than 35 million people on the CBS Facebook page. A neighbor said Gaskin told them he would never forget the show of appreciation and gratitude.
“I didn’t think he would be that emotional but he almost teared me up a little when I saw him,” said 14-year-old Gordon Ross. “I thought, yeah you definitely deserve it in every way.”
