I ran into a friend of mine the other day at the Flower Center.

It’s always nice to see someone you haven’t seen in a while.

We chatted for a few minutes while we were at the checkout counter and like some folks I run into, she said she had an idea for a story.

I promptly asked her what she had in mind. I’m always open and encourage folks to share their suggestions and tips with me.

My friend, who is a nurse, had been volunteering at the drive-through vaccination site that has been set up at Uptown Vicksburg, formerly the Vicksburg Mall.

She suggested I do a story on the people that have volunteered at the site.

In February, I wrote a story when the vaccine site first opened and I wrote a second story on a mom and her son and daughter who were all volunteering.

But, I totally agreed with my friend – another story is in order.

Because while the vaccine site is managed by the Mississippi State Department of Health and supported in part by the Mississippi Air National Guard, it would not have been possible without local volunteers.

In talking with Lisa Buchanan, who is the volunteer coordinator with the Warren County Emergency Management Agency and who has been coordinating all the volunteer efforts for the vaccine site, she said hundreds from the community – hundreds – have rolled up their sleeves and volunteered.

And this number of volunteers is in addition to men and women from local law enforcement agencies, the Vicksburg Fire Department, and the Warren County Emergency Management Agency who have also been present every day the site is up and running.

This equates, Lisa said, to thousands of hours of volunteer time. Vaccines have been given out most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays since Feb. 1, and these volunteers have come out, sometimes in the cold, rain, and heat to offer their time and service.

Lisa also shared with me that restaurants in town, she estimated it had been more than 30, have made sure each day the 60 or so volunteers had something to eat.

She said churches have also provided food, coffee coupons were distributed one day and even the Girl Scouts handed out cookies.

I know I have written many times about how fortunate I am to live where I live.

But, what folks in our community have done, and not just for the locals, but for those living outside Warren County who have made their way to our River City to get vaccinated, most definitely deserves a big shout-out.

And when Lisa gets me the names of all those who have volunteered, I plan to follow up on my friend’s suggestion.

Because I think each person who has helped during these historic times needs to be recognized so we in the community can thank them, personally.

And if you are one of those volunteers who helped out including the men and women from the fire and police department, sheriff’s office, or with the Emergency Management Agency and are reading my column, I want to start now and say thank you.

Thank you for giving your time in this fight against COVID.

No doubt lives will be saved due to your efforts.