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Community spirit thrives in Mahtowa

Just before Easter, a single chick-in-an-egg toy was left at the end of the day after a customer brought in a birchbark basket of 30 of them. The toys were free.

Another woman brought in homemade facemasks on Friday that anyone could take for free.

"They went like crazy," said Renee Gaffney, one of the owners of TJ's Country Store.

Those are just two examples of how people in the tiny community of Mahtowa have pulled together during the statewide stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Renee and Glenn Gaffney and family bought TJ's a year ago after the death of longtime owner and community advocate Tom Bislow. They vowed to carry on Bislow's tradition of operating the general store with community spirit in mind. The coronavirus outbreak brought a clear mission to the store and the community.

"We've gotten the word out that we can help," Renee said. "We can deliver groceries to people or have an order available for curbside pickup."

But it isn't just TJ's that is helping community residents. Volunteers have stepped up and offered their time and cash donations to help those in need.

"The volunteers pull items from the shelves to fill a grocery order, and then they bag the groceries and deliver them," Renee said.

Prices have risen and certain items are not as readily available in the past since the outbreak.

"The price of eggs has gone through the roof," Renee said. "We're doing our best to get things and to buy them at lower prices. We don't want to pay high prices either."

Last Christmas season, TJ's issued a community reading challenge as part of its mission of community service. It was a movement that eventually led to its pandemic response.

"If people read a book or helped someone without being asked, we had a ribbon at the store with that person's name on it," Renee said. "We donated prizes. When this outbreak came up, we asked ourselves: 'Why stop there? It is absolutely free to help somebody.'"

TJ's and the volunteers have stepped up and are continuing to help people.

"One of the big things that we have emphasized is now that people don't see each other in church, we want to make sure that they don't fall through the cracks," Renee said. "We try to emphasize that people call and check on other people. ... They might not need anything but they can have a nice conversation. We also encourage the kids to make cards and send them to people in the nursing homes. Spouses and family members can't go and visit them."

The Gaffneys said they're humbled to be a part of a caring community.

"We couldn't do it without everyone's help," Renee said. "Everyone helps us to pull it off. The community has melded together. We might be in the middle of nowhere but, at the same time, we are everywhere."

TJ's delivers to Mahtowa, Barnum and Moose Lake areas. For more information, call TJ's any day at 389-6257 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.