Volunteers lend RVs for health care workers amid COVID-19 pandemic

On social media, some are offering up their campers and RVs so health care workers have a safe place to go and reduce the chance of exposing others to COVID-19.

Patrick McNeil works at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center in radiology. Seeing so many patients every day, he was worried he could get COVID-19 and spread it to his family.

"I want to do what I can to protect my family," McNeil said. "I’m immune-compromised myself."

McNeil put out a plea for help in the Facebook group, "RVs 4 MDs To Fight the Corona Virus."

Community members volunteer to lend their RVs to health care workers and first responders during this time of need on the Facebook group.

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A week after McNeil’s post, and more than an hour away in Wisconsin, Kacey Weaver responded.

"We have an RV and we aren’t going anywhere with social distancing and shelter in place, and just storing it didn’t seem to make sense," Weaver said.

Weaver and her husband drove more than 60 miles from Pepin to Bayport to let Patrick borrow their RV.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS was there as they met for the first time.

"It’s pretty amazing that you have these two people that I don’t know, never met them before in my life, but they’re willing to park their $50,000 RV in my driveway and let me live in it," McNeil said.

It’s an act of kindness and a selfless gesture to make sure life is a little easier for someone else.

"Being able to help out and give it to a medical professional so they can stay near their family and have some sort of normal life through this not normal time that I would definitely encourage it," Weaver said. "Ultimately, you have to have faith in humanity and we felt that a good gesture would be acknowledged."