Recognizing Melinda Stentoft of Scobey

Floor Speech

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Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Melinda Stentoft of Scobey for providing Eastern Montana's health care providers with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Let me start of by saying Melinda wants everybody to know she doesn't think she deserves this recognition. She said, ``I just honestly felt like it needed to be done.''

That speaks volumes to the type of person Melinda is. She owns a boutique in Scobey, Montana. Once the COVID-19 outbreak forced everyone indoors and businesses, like hers, to close their doors, business really started picking up on line. In fact, her numbers doubled in the past two months.

But through all this success, she saw the harsh reality of the coronavirus and its impact on her community, state, and nation. When health care providers indicated they had an immediate need for PPE, Melinda realized there was a way she could help.

Melinda's boutique sells cloth masks to the public. She says everyone was ordering them, so she pledged to help with Eastern Montana's health care PPE shortage. For every five masks her business sold, she would donate two to health care systems like Daniels Memorial in Scobey, Roosevelt Memorial in Culbertson, and the Billings Clinic. Thanks to her efforts, hundreds of masks will be delivered to protect providers.

This unprecedented time has reminded Melinda of her childhood when, she says, people were so close, and the sense of a tight-knit community came back because of the outbreak. Instead of rushing all the time, Melinda feels people are taking more time to talk to each other, and she loves how people have found their own way to help.

Madam Speaker, for identifying the needs of her community and selflessly giving back, I recognize Melinda Stentoft of Scobey for her Spirit of Montana.

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