Marc Cameron, manager of Howe2Run in Savannah, GA, applied some of his store’s well-known “howe-2” spirit in his efforts to service and stay in touch with its local run community in late March and into April. It is as simple as making its own deliveries of essentials to its customers who are sheltering in-place or isolated in their homes.

Knowing that nutrition is important to runners and a supply that can run out fairly quickly – like toilet paper – Howe2Run  instituted what it calls “Nutrition Delivery.”

In this case, the store started delivering its nutrition products to its customers in and around Savannah, many of whom are under shut-in-place orders, others that may have family members battling other underlying health issues.

“This way we have been keeping our runners/family stocked during these trying times,” Cameron explains. “It also allows us to keep proper social distancing recommendations.

“Many were training for various races that were cancelled but are still getting out for their runs and continuing their training,” Cameron adds, and the store wanted to make sure they kept up their nutrition routines. “We know how important nutrition is, so we have been delivering it to them.”

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, he reports, and and runners are very grateful — something he hopes will pay off in increased loyalty when this crisis passes.

Here’s how it works: Howe2Run takes an order over the phone and then staff members use their own personal vehicles to deliver the items ordered — right to the front door, or perhaps while out on a run.

The service not only helps maintain its customer base in these unprecedented times, but it helps the Howe2Run staff stay connected and feel it is contributing to the health and well-being of its community.

“As for everyone’s overall state of mind, people are trying to stay positive, especially in our Run Family, as we call it,” Cameron says of the challenge of navigating the crisis. “But cases in Georgia do continue to rise, there is much uneasiness as you can imagine.”