As a means of thanking their employees for their essential work during the COVID-19 outbreaks, one of the largest grocery store chains in America is offering a "hero bonus" to all of their hourly workers.

Kroger, which is the United States' largest supermarket by revenue and the second-largest general retailer, announced this week that they would be giving all hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy, and call center associates a temporary raise of $2 premium above their standard base rate of pay.

The bonus will be applied to hours worked from March 29th through April 18th. The premium will also be disbursed weekly to ensure associates have access to additional cash.

"Our associates have displayed the true actions of a hero, working tirelessly on the frontlines to ensure everyone has access to affordable, fresh food and essentials during this national emergency," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "The Hero Bonus is just one more way we continue to convey our thanks and gratitude not only to our existing associates but also to the more than 30,000 new hires who have joined in the past two weeks and those who will soon join the Kroger Family of Companies."

This is not the company's first gesture of gratitude towards its workers; in addition to publishing new sanitation guidelines and shoring up employee benefits for the duration of the coronavirus crisis, Kroger announced on March 21st that they would be giving their employees a one-time "appreciation bonus" of $300 to every full-time associate and $150 to every part-time associate.

"Recently, we announced an appreciation bonus for our hourly frontline associates. This gesture was to thank our associates for everything they have done during the past few weeks," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer. "However, we recognize that this crisis is far from over, and after reflecting on associate feedback and working together with our union partners, we want to further acknowledge our terrific team for their hard work to date as well as the work yet to come."

This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.

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