With the United States now the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, tough times have fallen hard on millions. However, as these stories illustrate, that’s when Americans step up.

Georgetown, Tennessee teen, Elizabeth Taylor, a cashier at a local grocery store, stepped up when Layne McKeel was short of cash at her check-out counter. As reported by a local NBC affiliate WRCB (Apr. 10).

“ ‘When she said it was $173.00, I said ‘Oh no’ and I pulled my wallet out and I only had 140,’ McKeel said.

“He had no other way to pay for the remainder,” reporter Mary Hoots explained.

“So McKeel said, ‘I’ll put some stuff back and the young lady said ‘No, don’t worry about it, it’s paid for.’ I said ‘what’s paid for?’ ”

“ ‘It was all essential stuff so I was just like you know, and he was like what do I owe you? And I was like no, it’s fine, I’ll take care of it, it’s okay,’ Taylor, a cashier at Fresh N Low in Georgetown, said.

“ ‘We’ve seen a lot of older people,’ Taylor added, ‘and they’re all trying to buy groceries and a lot of places have run out of stuff, and so the older people are kind of taking the downfall for that. I just try to give back when I can.’ ”

Thankful for the help, McKeel said, “She’s just a little angel is what she was. You know, just the light of day.”

Sam’s Club Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Lance de la Rosa, posted this notice on the company website:

“Mr. Sam once said that the best ideas come from our associates and we believe this to be true now more than ever.

“Previously a few of our clubs invited healthcare workers and first responders for early shopping hours with our associates. What an act of kindness and consideration for those on the front lines! It’s inspiring to watch the ways our associates serve those around them.

“Our heroes (Sam’s Club associates) can shop the club early every Sunday from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. and we’re following the lead of those thoughtful clubs by expanding the audience for this shopping period to include healthcare workers and first responders.

“On that note, we are announcing today that first responders and healthcare workers will be welcomed chainwide into our clubs for special shopping hours on Sundays from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. These Hero Hours will kick off Sunday, April 19 and continue until further notice. All shoppers entering clubs will be provided with a mask for safety.

“Most importantly I want to thank all our heroes, healthcare workers, first responders and our associates for all you’re doing and the way you’re helping our communities.”

I hope other corporate stores around the country follow Sam’s example and join the club of support.

Actor, Director John Krasinski, known for his role of Jim Halpert on the NBC comedy series, The Office, and writer-director of the horror drama, A Quiet Place, has crafted a new role for himself: online host of his own 15-minute-or-so one-man talk show entitled, SGN, (Some Good News*).

From his home office, Krasinski broadcasts a live show in which he shares upbeat stories of people making a difference during the virus outbreak. The idea for the show grew from a tweet he sent to fans:

“Alright everybody, how about #SomeGoodNews ! Send me the stories that have made you feel good this week or the things that just made you smile!” — John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) March 25, 2020

“For years now, I’ve been wondering, why is there not a news show dedicated entirely to good news?” Krasinski explains on his first show. “Well, desperately seeking my fix somewhere else, I reached out to all of you this week, asking — nay, begging — for some good news. And boy, did you deliver.”

His first story covered a worldwide celebration of healthcare workers on the front lines of the epidemic. While Krasinski made no announcement for another episode, he was inundated with rave reviews and now has several episodes under his belt. Baseball is SGN’s third episode and ends with a big surprise for five healthcare workers.

The K man delivers!