Fruno spends her time prioritizing families with children but makes sure everyone has enough staples like rice and beans to last three weeks. She brings food for pets, too. (Fruno is a long-time animal-rights activist). She hasn't had a day off in five months. She is one of 3,943 TPP grantees working in 115 countries. What it's been like for her working through COVID-19? “Terrifying,” Fruno told CMSWire. “We learned that there is a COVID case in the cemetery community. Perhaps the worst news is that the COVID patient, who is asymptomatic and was only tested prior to admission to a hospital to give birth, was sent home. She returned to a community in which isolation is impossible and therefore has infected countless others.”

Fruno said she and countless other volunteers like her don’t take this risk lightly. “And we are terrified,” she said. “I think I can speak for all the volunteers who have committed to being there in saying that we're scared. Scared of getting sick. Scared of making others sick. Scared we won’t be able to handle the heat in a (Personal Protective Equipment) PPE suit. But our community is undoubtedly more scared than us. They’re not just scared of the virus, but scared of going hungry. They’re scared of not being able to feed their children.”

Fruno (pictured far left in the photo below) said they understand that the cemetery community’s movements are likely to be further restricted, and sadly, Fruno added, the cemetery residents may be stigmatized. “We know that this community needs us now more than ever,” she said. “And that is reason enough for us to soldier on.”